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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. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. roll — a list
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. fork — in a road
  5. net — for catching
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. press — a publisher
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. roll — a cake
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. plane — a tool
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. net — in sport
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. press — newspapers
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. press — to push

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