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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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. saw — the tool
  3. rush — hurry
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. net — in sport
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. net — for catching
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. spring — the season
  10. stand — to bear
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. spring — of water
  16. press — a publisher
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. saw — the tool
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. press — newspapers
  22. spring — a coil
  23. press — to push
  24. mouse — the animal

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