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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. net — after costs
  3. net — for catching
  4. lean — thin
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. face — to point toward
  7. press — a publisher
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. face — part of the head
  11. lean — to bend
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. season — in sport
  14. press — to push
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. press — newspapers
  17. net — in sport
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. face — to confront
  22. land — a country
  23. land — to come down
  24. land — ground

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