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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. spell — a short time
  3. press — to push
  4. press — newspapers
  5. fall — to drop
  6. march — music
  7. mark — a trace
  8. fall — the season
  9. march — the month
  10. content — the amount
  11. content — happy
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. spell — letters
  14. fall — to drop
  15. press — a publisher
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. march — the month
  18. net — for catching
  19. mark — a grade
  20. squash — to crush
  21. net — in sport
  22. spell — magic
  23. squash — the sport
  24. mark — to pay attention

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