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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 120 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. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. net — after costs
  3. wind — moving air
  4. press — newspapers
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. wind — moving air
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. charge — in control
  10. press — a publisher
  11. bear — the animal
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. net — for catching
  14. bear — the animal
  15. press — to push
  16. club — for golf
  17. net — in sport
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. charge — electricity
  20. charge — a price
  21. club — a group
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. club — for dancing

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