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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 116 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 stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  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. field — for sport
  2. bulb — for light
  3. field — farmland
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. tear — from crying
  6. press — a publisher
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. press — newspapers
  9. kick — in football
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. tear — from crying
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. press — to push
  17. ball — a dance
  18. bulb — for light
  19. ball — a great time
  20. tear — to rip
  21. rule — government
  22. rule — a law
  23. ball — a round shape
  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