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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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. mug — to rob
  5. net — after costs
  6. ball — a great time
  7. press — to push
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. mug — a face
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. mug — a cup
  12. key — for a lock
  13. key — in music
  14. capital — money
  15. ball — a dance
  16. net — for catching
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. capital — a city
  20. press — newspapers
  21. key — the most important part
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. press — a publisher
  24. ball — a round shape

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