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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 124 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. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. craft — boats
  4. chest — a box
  5. chest — of your body
  6. scale — size or range
  7. scale — in music
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. root — of a plant
  10. net — after costs
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. press — newspapers
  13. craft — a skill
  14. court — of a king
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. root — of a word
  17. stand — to bear
  18. court — for sport
  19. root — the cause
  20. press — to push
  21. chest — of your body
  22. net — in sport
  23. press — a publisher
  24. court — of law

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