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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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. mate — a friend
  4. mate — a partner
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. file — a line of people
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. press — newspapers
  10. field — farmland
  11. bulb — for light
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. press — to push
  14. mate — to breed
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. file — a tool
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. field — for sport
  19. perch — the fish
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. bulb — for light
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. file — a document
  24. field — a subject

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