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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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. court — for sport
  4. staff — a stick
  5. foot — a measure
  6. file — a document
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. file — a tool
  9. court — of law
  10. court — of a king
  11. press — newspapers
  12. press — a publisher
  13. net — in sport
  14. staff — employees
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. staff — employees
  18. file — a line of people
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. deal — to handle
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. press — to push
  24. net — for catching

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