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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 ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. net — after costs
  3. chest — a box
  4. press — newspapers
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. pop — music
  7. press — to push
  8. chest — of your body
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. row — to paddle
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. pop — to visit
  13. press — a publisher
  14. stand — to bear
  15. race — a contest
  16. row — a line
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. pop — soda
  19. race — the arms race
  20. net — for catching
  21. race — humankind
  22. chest — of your body
  23. net — in sport
  24. stand — on your feet

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