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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 was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. press — to push
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. object — an aim
  5. pit — in a race
  6. press — a publisher
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. object — a thing
  9. net — in sport
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. mine — for digging
  12. pit — a hole
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. net — for catching
  16. snap — to click
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. object — to protest
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. net — after costs
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. press — newspapers

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