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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. mug — to rob
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. mug — a cup
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. season — in sport
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. mug — a face
  10. press — to push
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. pass — a permit
  14. field — farmland
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. mate — a friend
  17. field — for sport
  18. press — a publisher
  19. mate — a partner
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. press — newspapers
  22. season — of the year
  23. field — a subject
  24. arm — part of the body

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