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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 124 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. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. chest — of your body
  5. season — of the year
  6. game — a match
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. press — to push
  9. chest — a box
  10. chest — of your body
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. bound — certain
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. bound — obliged
  15. plane — a tool
  16. bound — tied together
  17. net — after costs
  18. press — a publisher
  19. net — in sport
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. net — for catching
  22. game — wild animals
  23. season — in sport
  24. hide — to keep secret

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