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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. net — after costs
  3. file — a tool
  4. press — to push
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. present — there
  7. net — in sport
  8. game — a match
  9. press — newspapers
  10. game — wild animals
  11. file — a line of people
  12. net — for catching
  13. press — a publisher
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. present — the time now
  16. saw — the tool
  17. file — a document
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. saw — the tool
  21. present — a gift
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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