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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.

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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 · kid · rest · foot · bass · plane · mark · net

  1. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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. kid — to tease
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. net — for catching
  6. bass — low music
  7. rest — a break
  8. foot — a measure
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. mark — a grade
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. rest — what's left
  13. bass — the fish
  14. plane — a tool
  15. rest — what's left
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. net — in sport
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. press — a publisher
  22. kid — child
  23. net — after costs
  24. mark — a trace

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