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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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. degree — an amount
  4. pit — in a race
  5. board — to get on
  6. press — to push
  7. rest — what's left
  8. press — newspapers
  9. board — a committee
  10. rash — hasty
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. press — a publisher
  14. pit — a hole
  15. net — for catching
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. net — in sport
  18. degree — temperature
  19. rest — what's left
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. degree — from a university
  22. rash — a series
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. rest — a break

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