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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. press — newspapers
  3. march — the month
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. net — for catching
  7. snap — to click
  8. press — to push
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. wake — a trail
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. fine — high quality
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. net — after costs
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. net — in sport
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. march — music
  22. press — a publisher
  23. march — the month
  24. fine — all right

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