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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: press · key · saw · current · game · mate · rash · net

  1. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. press — newspapers
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. press — a publisher
  5. net — for catching
  6. key — the most important part
  7. net — after costs
  8. current — of water
  9. current — happening now
  10. saw — the tool
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. current — electric
  13. rash — hasty
  14. mate — a friend
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. net — in sport
  17. saw — the tool
  18. mate — to breed
  19. key — for a lock
  20. mate — a partner
  21. game — a match
  22. key — in music
  23. game — wild animals
  24. rash — a series

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