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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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. scale — size or range
  3. press — to push
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. roll — a cake
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. press — newspapers
  9. net — after costs
  10. net — in sport
  11. field — for sport
  12. roll — a list
  13. foot — a measure
  14. scale — in music
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. field — farmland
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. press — a publisher
  20. field — a subject
  21. net — for catching
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. foot — the bottom

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