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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. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. fork — in a road
  6. cell — in biology
  7. press — to push
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. press — newspapers
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. cell — a phone
  12. prune — to trim
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. clip — to cut
  15. clip — a video
  16. clip — for paper
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. stand — to bear
  19. press — a publisher
  20. prune — to trim
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. net — in sport
  23. toast — bread
  24. net — for catching

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