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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. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. net — for catching
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. craft — a skill
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. current — happening now
  7. net — after costs
  8. press — a publisher
  9. current — of water
  10. press — to push
  11. present — the time now
  12. spell — a short time
  13. net — in sport
  14. current — electric
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. present — there
  17. rash — hasty
  18. rash — a series
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. spell — letters
  21. press — newspapers
  22. craft — boats
  23. present — a gift
  24. spell — magic

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