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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  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. spell — a short time
  2. press — a publisher
  3. capital — a city
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. craft — boats
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. march — music
  8. can — a tin
  9. rash — hasty
  10. can — a tin
  11. press — to push
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. march — the month
  15. wake — a trail
  16. march — the month
  17. spell — letters
  18. craft — a skill
  19. capital — money
  20. press — newspapers
  21. rash — a series
  22. can — to be able to
  23. capital — a big letter
  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