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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

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

  1. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. pass — to spend time
  3. wound — an injury
  4. press — to push
  5. bound — obliged
  6. net — in sport
  7. wound — an injury
  8. net — for catching
  9. pass — a permit
  10. craft — a skill
  11. bound — tied together
  12. bound — certain
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. net — after costs
  16. press — newspapers
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. press — a publisher

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