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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. club — for golf
  3. last — finally
  4. plane — a tool
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. club — a group
  8. net — after costs
  9. net — for catching
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. press — newspapers
  13. fine — high quality
  14. last — to go on
  15. press — to push
  16. season — of the year
  17. net — in sport
  18. fine — all right
  19. mark — a trace
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. club — for dancing
  22. mark — a grade
  23. press — a publisher
  24. season — in sport

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