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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. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. spell — letters
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. track — a path
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. net — for catching
  7. club — for golf
  8. club — a group
  9. net — in sport
  10. track — to keep track
  11. spell — magic
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. press — to push
  14. deal — to handle
  15. press — a publisher
  16. net — after costs
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. craft — boats
  19. club — for dancing
  20. craft — a skill
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. press — newspapers
  23. spell — a short time
  24. track — a song

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