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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. pop — music
  3. net — after costs
  4. mate — a friend
  5. charge — in control
  6. press — newspapers
  7. charge — electricity
  8. scale — in music
  9. net — in sport
  10. season — in sport
  11. spell — letters
  12. scale — size or range
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. press — to push
  16. charge — a price
  17. net — for catching
  18. spell — magic
  19. mate — a partner
  20. season — of the year
  21. press — a publisher
  22. spell — a short time
  23. pop — to visit
  24. pop — soda

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