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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. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. tube — the underground
  3. field — for sport
  4. tube — a container
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. bat — the animal
  7. press — newspapers
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. field — a subject
  11. land — ground
  12. degree — from a university
  13. land — a country
  14. land — to come down
  15. press — to push
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. rush — hurry
  18. degree — temperature
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. degree — an amount
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. field — farmland
  24. press — a publisher

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