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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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. file — a tool
  3. perch — the fish
  4. sharp — clever
  5. field — for sport
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. spell — a short time
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. press — newspapers
  10. file — a document
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. file — a line of people
  17. spell — magic
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. spell — letters
  21. press — to push
  22. field — farmland
  23. field — a subject
  24. hide — to keep secret

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