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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. press — a publisher
  3. net — after costs
  4. present — the time now
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. press — newspapers
  7. file — a document
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. file — a line of people
  12. press — to push
  13. net — for catching
  14. land — to come down
  15. net — in sport
  16. present — a gift
  17. mug — to rob
  18. file — a tool
  19. present — there
  20. mug — a cup
  21. land — ground
  22. land — a country
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. leaves — lets stay

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