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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. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. field — a subject
  4. track — a song
  5. press — a publisher
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. field — farmland
  8. rest — what's left
  9. track — a path
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. track — to keep track
  12. rest — a break
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. deal — to handle
  15. press — newspapers
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. press — to push
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. field — for 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