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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. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. stand — to bear
  6. field — a subject
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. tear — from crying
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. field — for sport
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. scale — size or range
  14. scale — in music
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. field — farmland
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. press — a publisher
  19. tear — from crying
  20. tear — to rip
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. press — to push
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. stand — for spectators

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