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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. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. spring — a coil
  4. craft — boats
  5. press — to push
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. date — the fruit
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. spring — the season
  14. press — newspapers
  15. net — after costs
  16. net — for catching
  17. spring — of water
  18. craft — a skill
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. press — a publisher
  23. net — in sport
  24. ruler — for measuring

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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