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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. march — music
  3. march — the month
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. press — newspapers
  6. net — in sport
  7. rest — what's left
  8. march — the month
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. rest — a break
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. net — for catching
  14. ground — crushed
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. rest — what's left
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. ground — a position
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. press — a publisher
  22. ground — the earth
  23. net — after costs
  24. plane — a tool

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com