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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. last — to go on
  3. mate — a partner
  4. net — after costs
  5. last — final
  6. mate — to breed
  7. can — a tin
  8. can — a tin
  9. pass — a permit
  10. press — to push
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. press — newspapers
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. mate — a friend
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. press — a publisher
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. net — in sport
  20. can — to be able to
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. net — for catching
  24. pass — to succeed

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