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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. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. charge — electricity
  3. last — final
  4. net — after costs
  5. mug — a cup
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. mug — a face
  8. last — finally
  9. last — to go on
  10. charge — in control
  11. wax — to grow
  12. land — a country
  13. land — to come down
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. land — ground
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. mug — to rob
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. net — for catching
  21. press — a publisher
  22. press — newspapers
  23. net — in sport
  24. charge — a price

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