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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 kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. net — after costs
  3. ball — a dance
  4. present — there
  5. tube — the underground
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. roll — a cake
  9. press — a publisher
  10. press — to push
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. net — for catching
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. net — in sport
  15. present — the time now
  16. ball — a great time
  17. present — a gift
  18. press — newspapers
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. roll — a list
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. tube — a container
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. straw — dry grass

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