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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. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. firm — decided
  4. firm — a company
  5. net — for catching
  6. rest — a break
  7. rest — what's left
  8. firm — steady
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. press — a publisher
  12. cap — of ice
  13. press — newspapers
  14. net — in sport
  15. rest — what's left
  16. wound — an injury
  17. pitch — completely
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. cap — a hat
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. wound — an injury
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. cap — a lid
  24. press — to push

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