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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 116 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 walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. file — a line of people
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. fall — the season
  5. press — newspapers
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. object — to protest
  8. object — an aim
  9. fall — to drop
  10. fall — to drop
  11. press — a publisher
  12. season — in sport
  13. file — a document
  14. object — a thing
  15. pitch — completely
  16. file — a tool
  17. season — of the year
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. net — for catching
  21. net — in sport
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. leaves — of a tree
  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