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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 116 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's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. craft — boats
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. craft — a skill
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. press — to push
  7. press — newspapers
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. net — after costs
  13. net — in sport
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. press — a publisher
  16. net — for catching
  17. cell — in biology
  18. field — farmland
  19. fork — in a road
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. field — for sport
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. cell — a phone
  24. sharp — clever

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