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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 124 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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: press · net · club · fine · fan · chest · snap · craft

  1. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. net — after costs
  3. fine — all right
  4. chest — a box
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. net — for catching
  7. club — for dancing
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. snap — to click
  11. craft — boats
  12. press — newspapers
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. chest — of your body
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. club — for golf
  17. club — a group
  18. press — to push
  19. craft — a skill
  20. net — in sport
  21. press — a publisher
  22. chest — of your body
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. fine — high quality

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