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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 120 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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. net — for catching
  3. net — in sport
  4. rash — a series
  5. net — after costs
  6. swing — music
  7. rash — hasty
  8. fall — to drop
  9. season — of the year
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. press — a publisher
  15. press — newspapers
  16. swing — in golf
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. fall — the season
  19. season — in sport
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. fork — in a road
  22. swing — to play on
  23. fall — to drop
  24. season — to add flavour

Multiple-meaning words list

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

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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