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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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. When will it ________________ you to start?
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. suit — in cards
  3. pop — soda
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. file — a tool
  6. craft — boats
  7. pop — music
  8. file — a document
  9. press — to push
  10. craft — a skill
  11. file — a line of people
  12. pop — to visit
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. last — finally
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. suit — clothes
  17. last — final
  18. march — music
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. march — the month
  21. march — the month
  22. press — a publisher
  23. suit — to fit
  24. press — newspapers

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