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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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  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. last — to go on
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. net — in sport
  5. deal — to handle
  6. press — to push
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. last — finally
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. press — a publisher
  11. craft — boats
  12. scale — size or range
  13. craft — a skill
  14. can — a tin
  15. net — after costs
  16. scale — in music
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. can — to be able to
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. net — for catching
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. can — a tin
  23. last — final
  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