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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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. press — a publisher
  3. net — for catching
  4. can — a tin
  5. can — a tin
  6. press — to push
  7. row — a line
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. ball — a dance
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. ball — a great time
  14. stem — to come from
  15. net — after costs
  16. can — to be able to
  17. deal — to handle
  18. wound — an injury
  19. press — newspapers
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. row — to paddle
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. wound — an injury
  24. deal — an agreement

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