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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. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. bay — to keep at bay
  2. field — for sport
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. face — part of the head
  5. press — newspapers
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. press — a publisher
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. field — a subject
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. field — farmland
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. face — to point toward
  20. face — to confront
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  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