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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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. kid — to tease
  3. season — in sport
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. press — newspapers
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. press — a publisher
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. mate — a friend
  10. press — to push
  11. plane — a tool
  12. mate — to breed
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. season — of the year
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. field — for sport
  19. kid — child
  20. field — farmland
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. mate — a partner
  24. calf — a young animal

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