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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: saw · pit · press · hide · sharp · present · ground · net

  1. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. press — a publisher
  3. net — after costs
  4. net — in sport
  5. saw — the tool
  6. pit — in a race
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. pit — a hole
  9. press — newspapers
  10. saw — the tool
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. sharp — clever
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. present — there
  15. ground — crushed
  16. present — the time now
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. press — to push
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. present — a gift
  22. net — for catching
  23. ground — a position
  24. ground — the earth

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