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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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. press — a publisher
  3. craft — boats
  4. last — to go on
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. march — the month
  7. press — newspapers
  8. march — music
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. last — final
  11. press — to push
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. last — finally
  14. march — the month
  15. fine — high quality
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. wax — to grow
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. craft — a skill
  22. fork — in a road
  23. kick — in football
  24. fork — to eat with

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