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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. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. net — for catching
  3. can — a tin
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. march — the month
  8. deal — to handle
  9. march — the month
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. net — in sport
  13. press — a publisher
  14. can — a tin
  15. net — after costs
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. date — the fruit
  18. can — to be able to
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. press — to push
  22. snap — to click
  23. press — newspapers
  24. deal — an agreement

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