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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. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. net — for catching
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. press — newspapers
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. branch — a division
  9. saw — the tool
  10. rash — a series
  11. rash — hasty
  12. press — to push
  13. rush — hurry
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. press — a publisher
  18. net — in sport
  19. game — a match
  20. game — wild animals
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. saw — the tool

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