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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. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. net — in sport
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. wind — moving air
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. court — of a king
  7. net — after costs
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. rash — a series
  10. rash — hasty
  11. net — for catching
  12. press — a publisher
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. date — the fruit
  15. press — newspapers
  16. wind — moving air
  17. court — for sport
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. press — to push
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. court — of law
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. hide — to keep secret

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