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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. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. field — farmland
  3. press — newspapers
  4. bear — the animal
  5. press — to push
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. clip — to cut
  8. clip — for paper
  9. bear — the animal
  10. press — a publisher
  11. field — for sport
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. field — a subject
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. charge — electricity
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. bat — the animal
  20. pound — a weight
  21. charge — a price
  22. rock — music
  23. charge — in control
  24. clip — a video

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