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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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. pop — music
  3. band — a music group
  4. press — newspapers
  5. bat — the animal
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. net — after costs
  8. stock — shares
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. band — a ring
  13. pop — soda
  14. net — for catching
  15. current — electric
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. stock — goods
  19. current — happening now
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. pop — to visit
  22. press — a publisher
  23. current — of water
  24. press — to push

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