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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 116 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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. net — after costs
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. saw — the tool
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. mate — a friend
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. net — in sport
  11. fall — to drop
  12. press — to push
  13. saw — the tool
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. fall — to drop
  17. press — newspapers
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. mate — to breed
  20. press — a publisher
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. net — for catching
  23. pound — a weight
  24. fall — the season

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