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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. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. pop — soda
  3. game — wild animals
  4. press — a publisher
  5. press — newspapers
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. cap — a lid
  9. mate — a friend
  10. game — a match
  11. mate — to breed
  12. drill — a practice
  13. lean — to bend
  14. craft — boats
  15. mate — a partner
  16. lean — thin
  17. pop — to visit
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. cap — a hat
  20. pop — music
  21. drill — the tool
  22. drill — army training
  23. press — to push
  24. cap — of ice

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