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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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  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. net — after costs
  2. press — a publisher
  3. net — for catching
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. wax — to grow
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. press — to push
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. net — in sport
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. snap — to click
  23. lie — to recline
  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