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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. suit — to fit
  3. net — after costs
  4. court — of law
  5. net — in sport
  6. suit — in cards
  7. firm — decided
  8. press — newspapers
  9. chest — a box
  10. suit — clothes
  11. current — happening now
  12. court — of a king
  13. net — for catching
  14. press — a publisher
  15. press — to push
  16. chest — of your body
  17. chest — of your body
  18. firm — a company
  19. firm — steady
  20. current — of water
  21. march — the month
  22. court — for sport
  23. march — music
  24. current — electric

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