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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.

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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 ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. field — farmland
  3. club — a group
  4. field — a subject
  5. net — for catching
  6. press — a publisher
  7. mate — to breed
  8. press — to push
  9. dip — to sink
  10. press — newspapers
  11. net — in sport
  12. club — for golf
  13. mate — a partner
  14. field — for sport
  15. mate — a friend
  16. net — after costs
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. club — for dancing

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