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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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. press — a publisher
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. court — of law
  5. field — for sport
  6. rock — a stone
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. field — a subject
  9. spell — letters
  10. press — newspapers
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. spell — a short time
  14. fall — to drop
  15. press — to push
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. spell — magic
  18. field — farmland
  19. rock — music
  20. court — of a king
  21. fall — to drop
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. fall — the season
  24. court — 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