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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 hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. shower — rain
  7. net — after costs
  8. net — in sport
  9. shower — to wash
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. press — to push
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. press — a publisher
  14. game — wild animals
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. mark — a grade
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. net — for catching
  19. press — newspapers
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. game — a match
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. safe — a strongbox

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