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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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. pit — in a race
  3. net — for catching
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. press — a publisher
  7. spell — letters
  8. pit — a hole
  9. fall — to drop
  10. spell — magic
  11. fall — to drop
  12. net — after costs
  13. spring — of water
  14. spring — the season
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. spell — a short time
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. press — to push
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. spring — a coil
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. press — newspapers
  23. fall — the season
  24. net — in sport

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