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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. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. land — a country
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. cold — not warm
  7. land — ground
  8. fine — high quality
  9. press — to push
  10. object — to protest
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. object — an aim
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. press — a publisher
  18. craft — a skill
  19. rush — hurry
  20. object — a thing
  21. cold — an illness
  22. press — newspapers
  23. fine — all right
  24. land — to come down

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