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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. field — for sport
  3. press — newspapers
  4. bass — the fish
  5. field — a subject
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. track — a song
  8. face — to point toward
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. track — to keep track
  11. swing — music
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. squash — to crush
  14. face — part of the head
  15. hand — help
  16. swing — in golf
  17. face — to confront
  18. swing — to play on
  19. press — a publisher
  20. track — a path
  21. field — farmland
  22. press — to push
  23. bass — low music
  24. hand — in cards

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