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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. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. net — after costs
  4. press — newspapers
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. press — a publisher
  7. last — final
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. net — in sport
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. stock — shares
  12. deal — to handle
  13. snap — to click
  14. last — to go on
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. stock — goods
  19. kid — to tease
  20. kid — child
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. net — for catching
  24. last — finally

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