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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. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. press — to push
  4. net — in sport
  5. drill — a practice
  6. press — newspapers
  7. press — a publisher
  8. vault — a safe
  9. mate — a partner
  10. drill — army training
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. mate — a friend
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. mate — to breed
  16. spell — letters
  17. drill — the tool
  18. spell — magic
  19. net — for catching
  20. stem — to come from
  21. spell — a short time
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. stem — of a plant

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