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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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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: pit · kick · charge · net · wound · rush · press · roll

  1. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. net — after costs
  3. charge — electricity
  4. roll — a cake
  5. pit — a hole
  6. kick — in football
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. press — to push
  9. rush — hurry
  10. press — a publisher
  11. wound — an injury
  12. roll — a list
  13. net — in sport
  14. charge — a price
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. wound — an injury
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. charge — in control
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. pit — in a race
  21. net — for catching
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. rush — a thrill

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