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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. cue — for pool
  3. press — to push
  4. press — a publisher
  5. craft — boats
  6. net — in sport
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. scale — in music
  9. cue — a signal
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. net — for catching
  14. last — final
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. cue — a hint
  17. net — after costs
  18. press — newspapers
  19. last — to go on
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. wax — to grow
  23. last — finally
  24. craft — a skill

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