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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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. can — a tin
  3. can — to be able to
  4. field — for sport
  5. can — a tin
  6. press — a publisher
  7. hand — in cards
  8. wound — an injury
  9. pitch — completely
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. field — a subject
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. field — farmland
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. wound — an injury
  22. press — to push
  23. hand — help
  24. press — newspapers

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