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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 120 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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. press — newspapers
  3. ground — the earth
  4. ball — a dance
  5. field — farmland
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. can — a tin
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. field — for sport
  11. field — a subject
  12. ground — a position
  13. bulb — for light
  14. can — a tin
  15. bulb — for light
  16. can — to be able to
  17. shower — to wash
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. ground — crushed
  22. shower — rain
  23. press — a publisher
  24. press — to push

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