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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. track — a song
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. net — in sport
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. spell — letters
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. net — for catching
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. track — to keep track
  12. track — a path
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. press — to push
  15. saw — the tool
  16. press — newspapers
  17. dip — to sink
  18. spell — magic
  19. wake — a trail
  20. spell — a short time
  21. press — a publisher
  22. rock — music
  23. saw — the tool
  24. rock — a stone

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