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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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. object — a thing
  4. craft — a skill
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. object — to protest
  9. object — an aim
  10. press — to push
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. board — to get on
  15. sharp — clever
  16. craft — boats
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. wake — a trail
  19. row — to paddle
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. row — a line
  22. press — a publisher
  23. board — a committee
  24. board — a flat piece

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