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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. net — after costs
  3. face — part of the head
  4. rush — hurry
  5. net — in sport
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. snap — to click
  8. present — a gift
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. present — there
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. face — to confront
  13. press — newspapers
  14. press — a publisher
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. face — to point toward
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. press — to push
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. net — for catching
  22. present — the time now
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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