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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. net — after costs
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. net — for catching
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. craft — boats
  7. cell — a phone
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. press — newspapers
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. stock — shares
  15. press — to push
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. cell — in biology
  20. press — a publisher
  21. season — in sport
  22. stock — goods
  23. craft — a skill
  24. net — in sport

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