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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. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. field — farmland
  3. press — a publisher
  4. rest — a break
  5. field — for sport
  6. spell — magic
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. lie — to recline
  9. stand — to bear
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. bear — the animal
  12. spell — letters
  13. press — to push
  14. rest — what's left
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. rest — what's left
  18. press — newspapers
  19. spell — a short time
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. bear — the animal
  22. field — a subject
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. straw — a straw man

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