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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. fine — high quality
  4. mark — a grade
  5. field — a subject
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. mark — a trace
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. track — a path
  10. track — a song
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. press — to push
  13. field — for sport
  14. press — a publisher
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. track — to keep track
  17. fine — all right
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. season — in sport
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. press — newspapers
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. season — of the year

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