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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. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. net — after costs
  3. land — to come down
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. present — a gift
  6. dip — to sink
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. net — in sport
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. press — to push
  11. present — the time now
  12. present — there
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. net — for catching
  15. press — a publisher
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. craft — boats
  21. craft — a skill
  22. land — ground
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. land — a country

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