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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. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  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. toast — the most admired
  2. field — farmland
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. cap — of ice
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. press — to push
  9. roll — a cake
  10. vault — a safe
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. roll — a list
  13. press — newspapers
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. field — a subject
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. cap — a lid
  19. press — a publisher
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. toast — bread
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. cap — a hat
  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