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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. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. chair — a leader
  3. press — a publisher
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. capital — a city
  7. pop — to visit
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. press — to push
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. wake — a trail
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. pop — soda
  14. craft — boats
  15. craft — a skill
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. press — newspapers
  18. pop — music
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. perch — the fish
  24. capital — money

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