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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. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. net — for catching
  3. net — after costs
  4. fork — in a road
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. press — a publisher
  7. rest — what's left
  8. bound — obliged
  9. press — newspapers
  10. press — to push
  11. rest — a break
  12. degree — from a university
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. degree — temperature
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. roll — a cake
  17. net — in sport
  18. bound — certain
  19. degree — an amount
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. roll — a list
  22. bound — tied together
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. fork — a garden tool

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