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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. When will it ________________ you to start?
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. net — for catching
  3. press — to push
  4. net — after costs
  5. suit — clothes
  6. firm — steady
  7. suit — in cards
  8. press — a publisher
  9. press — newspapers
  10. ground — a position
  11. snap — to click
  12. last — to go on
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. net — in sport
  15. ground — crushed
  16. game — wild animals
  17. firm — decided
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. game — a match
  20. suit — to fit
  21. firm — a company
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. last — finally
  24. ground — the earth

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