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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. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. snap — to click
  3. object — a thing
  4. press — to push
  5. object — to protest
  6. craft — a skill
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. press — newspapers
  9. row — a line
  10. swing — to play on
  11. lean — thin
  12. lean — to bend
  13. press — a publisher
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. row — to paddle
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. craft — boats
  20. swing — music
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. swing — in golf
  23. saw — the tool
  24. saw — the tool

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