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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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. fine — all right
  3. net — after costs
  4. present — a gift
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. press — to push
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. press — newspapers
  9. net — in sport
  10. craft — boats
  11. fine — high quality
  12. press — a publisher
  13. fork — in a road
  14. craft — a skill
  15. present — there
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. net — for catching
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. clip — for paper
  21. clip — to cut
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. clip — a video
  24. craft — a handicraft

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