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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. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. net — after costs
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. press — newspapers
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. pit — a hole
  7. bat — the animal
  8. ground — the earth
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. ground — a position
  11. net — for catching
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. pit — in a race
  15. date — the fruit
  16. bear — the animal
  17. press — a publisher
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. ground — crushed
  20. net — in sport
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. bear — the animal
  24. leaves — of a tree

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