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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 120 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. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. press — a publisher
  3. net — for catching
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. craft — a skill
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. net — in sport
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. march — music
  13. net — after costs
  14. march — the month
  15. march — the month
  16. last — finally
  17. press — to push
  18. last — to go on
  19. press — newspapers
  20. last — final
  21. season — in sport
  22. season — of the year
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. fan — to cool the air

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