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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. last — final
  3. net — after costs
  4. last — to go on
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. net — in sport
  7. last — finally
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. press — newspapers
  11. content — the amount
  12. press — a publisher
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. content — happy
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. chair — a leader
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. net — for catching
  24. press — to push

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