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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 120 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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. club — a group
  3. press — to push
  4. net — for catching
  5. pitch — completely
  6. object — an aim
  7. root — the cause
  8. season — in sport
  9. object — a thing
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. net — in sport
  13. bear — the animal
  14. season — of the year
  15. press — newspapers
  16. club — for golf
  17. root — of a plant
  18. object — to protest
  19. press — a publisher
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. net — after costs
  22. root — of a word
  23. bear — the animal
  24. club — for dancing

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