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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. press — a publisher
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. net — for catching
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. kick — in football
  10. wound — an injury
  11. toast — bread
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. rash — a series
  14. wound — an injury
  15. bass — the fish
  16. press — newspapers
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. bass — low music
  19. rush — hurry
  20. net — in sport
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. press — to push
  23. net — after costs
  24. rash — on the skin

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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