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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. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. current — of water
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. press — a publisher
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. snap — to click
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. net — for catching
  15. craft — a skill
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. net — after costs
  19. press — newspapers
  20. press — to push
  21. current — happening now
  22. craft — boats
  23. net — in sport
  24. current — electric

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