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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. pop — to visit
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. pop — music
  6. rule — a law
  7. season — in sport
  8. field — for sport
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. press — newspapers
  12. field — farmland
  13. pop — soda
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. field — a subject
  16. bear — the animal
  17. season — of the year
  18. bear — the animal
  19. press — to push
  20. press — a publisher
  21. band — a music group
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. rule — government
  24. band — a ring

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