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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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. press — a publisher
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. key — for a lock
  5. pass — a permit
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. key — in music
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. net — in sport
  10. roll — a list
  11. hand — in cards
  12. press — newspapers
  13. roll — a cake
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. press — to push
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. hand — help
  21. net — for catching
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. key — the most important part

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