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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. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. field — a subject
  4. object — to protest
  5. row — a line
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. saw — the tool
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. press — a publisher
  10. sharp — clever
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. field — farmland
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. deal — to handle
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. saw — the tool
  17. press — newspapers
  18. object — an aim
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. row — to paddle
  21. press — to push
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. object — a thing
  24. deal — a big deal

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