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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. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. spring — the season
  3. spring — of water
  4. march — the month
  5. press — newspapers
  6. spring — a coil
  7. spell — letters
  8. spell — magic
  9. net — in sport
  10. spell — a short time
  11. march — the month
  12. tear — from crying
  13. file — a document
  14. press — a publisher
  15. file — a tool
  16. march — music
  17. charge — in control
  18. file — a line of people
  19. tear — to rip
  20. net — for catching
  21. charge — a price
  22. charge — electricity
  23. press — to push
  24. tear — from crying

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