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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. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. dip — to sink
  5. branch — a division
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. game — a match
  9. press — a publisher
  10. plane — a tool
  11. stock — goods
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. game — wild animals
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. press — newspapers
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. field — a subject
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. press — to push
  22. field — farmland
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. stock — shares

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