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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 120 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
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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: press · lash · net · mate · file · ground · present · mark

  1. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. mate — a partner
  3. net — for catching
  4. mate — to breed
  5. file — a tool
  6. present — there
  7. net — after costs
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. mark — a grade
  11. net — in sport
  12. present — a gift
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. ground — a position
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. file — a document
  17. ground — the earth
  18. press — newspapers
  19. mark — a trace
  20. mate — a friend
  21. press — a publisher
  22. present — the time now
  23. file — a line of people
  24. press — to push

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