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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 strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. wind — moving air
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. press — a publisher
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. net — in sport
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. row — a line
  10. saw — the tool
  11. rest — a break
  12. press — newspapers
  13. rest — what's left
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. row — to paddle
  16. saw — the tool
  17. press — to push
  18. net — for catching
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. stand — to bear
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. rest — what's left
  24. wind — moving air

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