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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. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. can — a tin
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. net — after costs
  5. bound — tied together
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. stand — to bear
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. press — a publisher
  12. wound — an injury
  13. can — to be able to
  14. mark — a grade
  15. net — in sport
  16. wound — an injury
  17. net — for catching
  18. bound — obliged
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. can — a tin
  21. press — newspapers
  22. bound — certain
  23. mark — a trace
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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