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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 124 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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. press — a publisher
  3. kick — in football
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. spell — magic
  7. staff — a stick
  8. staff — employees
  9. spell — letters
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. bass — the fish
  13. staff — employees
  14. bass — low music
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. spell — a short time
  17. press — to push
  18. field — for sport
  19. press — newspapers
  20. season — of the year
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. field — a subject
  24. season — in sport

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