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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. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. mate — a friend
  3. mate — a partner
  4. field — for sport
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. field — a subject
  7. press — a publisher
  8. prune — to trim
  9. press — newspapers
  10. face — to confront
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. mate — to breed
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. bank — of a river
  17. bank — for money
  18. face — to point toward
  19. prune — to trim
  20. perch — the fish
  21. face — part of the head
  22. bank — for money
  23. sharp — clever
  24. field — farmland

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