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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. field — for sport
  3. ball — a dance
  4. press — a publisher
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. staff — employees
  7. field — farmland
  8. perch — the fish
  9. root — of a plant
  10. ball — a great time
  11. field — a subject
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. staff — a stick
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. root — the cause
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. mate — a friend
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. press — to push
  20. root — of a word
  21. mate — to breed
  22. press — newspapers
  23. staff — employees
  24. perch — for a bird

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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