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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. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  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. shower — a meteor shower
  2. land — a country
  3. net — in sport
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. net — after costs
  6. bass — low music
  7. saw — the tool
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. land — to come down
  10. shower — rain
  11. land — ground
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. bass — the fish
  14. shower — to wash
  15. saw — the tool
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. press — a publisher
  18. press — to push
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. pass — a permit
  21. net — for catching
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. bass — the instrument
  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