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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. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. press — newspapers
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. fall — to drop
  5. fall — to drop
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. rush — hurry
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. chair — a leader
  10. press — a publisher
  11. wound — an injury
  12. fall — the season
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. wound — an injury
  15. net — in sport
  16. craft — boats
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. net — for catching
  19. craft — a skill
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. press — to push
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. trunk — of a car

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