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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. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — a sudden rise
  2. net — in sport
  3. rash — hasty
  4. rash — a series
  5. press — a publisher
  6. wound — an injury
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. net — after costs
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. wound — an injury
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. march — music
  14. press — newspapers
  15. net — for catching
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. march — the month
  19. press — to push
  20. wind — moving air
  21. wind — moving air
  22. march — the month
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. snap — to click

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