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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. march — music
  3. net — after costs
  4. press — to push
  5. press — a publisher
  6. march — the month
  7. rash — a series
  8. net — in sport
  9. march — the month
  10. squash — to crush
  11. press — newspapers
  12. fork — in a road
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. rash — hasty
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. squash — the sport
  20. pit — in a race
  21. pit — a hole
  22. vault — a safe
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. fork — a garden tool

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