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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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. can — to be able to
  3. net — after costs
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. craft — a skill
  6. march — music
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. can — a tin
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. march — the month
  12. chip — for betting
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. press — a publisher
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. craft — boats
  17. net — in sport
  18. chip — to eat
  19. march — the month
  20. wake — a trail
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. press — to push
  23. can — a tin
  24. press — newspapers

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