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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 116 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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. When will it ________________ you to start?
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. net — in sport
  3. tube — the underground
  4. field — farmland
  5. track — to keep track
  6. track — a path
  7. mug — a face
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. press — newspapers
  11. mug — a cup
  12. field — a subject
  13. track — a song
  14. suit — in cards
  15. field — for sport
  16. net — for catching
  17. suit — to fit
  18. suit — clothes
  19. press — to push
  20. press — a publisher
  21. mug — to rob
  22. wind — moving air
  23. net — after costs
  24. tube — a container

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