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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. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. firm — steady
  3. press — to push
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. march — music
  6. firm — a company
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. press — a publisher
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. march — the month
  12. wax — to grow
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. press — newspapers
  15. game — a match
  16. net — in sport
  17. march — the month
  18. game — wild animals
  19. net — for catching
  20. dip — to sink
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. firm — decided
  24. temple — a place of worship

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