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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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. craft — a skill
  3. snap — to click
  4. row — a line
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. charge — electricity
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. craft — boats
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. press — a publisher
  12. press — to push
  13. row — to paddle
  14. net — in sport
  15. net — for catching
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. charge — a price
  20. press — newspapers
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. charge — in control
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. craft — a handicraft

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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