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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 120 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. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. chest — a box
  3. court — for sport
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. press — a publisher
  6. cue — a signal
  7. mate — to breed
  8. court — of a king
  9. field — for sport
  10. degree — an amount
  11. chest — of your body
  12. degree — temperature
  13. degree — from a university
  14. chest — of your body
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. press — to push
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. court — of law
  19. cue — a hint
  20. field — a subject
  21. mate — a friend
  22. press — newspapers
  23. cue — for pool
  24. mate — a partner

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