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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 120 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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. pop — music
  3. net — in sport
  4. pop — to visit
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. season — in sport
  9. press — to push
  10. lean — thin
  11. net — for catching
  12. fine — high quality
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. net — after costs
  15. fine — all right
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. pop — soda
  18. rule — a law
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. press — newspapers
  21. rule — government
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. season — of the year
  24. press — a publisher

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