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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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. club — for golf
  3. club — a group
  4. press — a publisher
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. key — the most important part
  8. press — newspapers
  9. lean — to bend
  10. net — in sport
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. key — for a lock
  14. lean — thin
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. cap — of ice
  17. key — in music
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. club — for dancing
  20. cap — a lid
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. press — to push
  23. net — for catching
  24. cap — a hat

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