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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 116 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. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. craft — a skill
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. row — to paddle
  5. season — of the year
  6. cell — a phone
  7. season — in sport
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. cell — in biology
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. press — newspapers
  12. swing — in golf
  13. press — a publisher
  14. row — a line
  15. swing — music
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. kick — in football
  21. craft — boats
  22. swing — to play on
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. kick — a thrill

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