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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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. press — a publisher
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. net — after costs
  6. can — a tin
  7. can — to be able to
  8. drill — the tool
  9. net — for catching
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. drill — a practice
  12. fork — in a road
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. drill — army training
  15. press — to push
  16. face — to confront
  17. net — in sport
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. face — to point toward
  20. press — newspapers
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. face — part of the head
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. coach — a trainer

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