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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 116 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. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. press — a publisher
  3. press — to push
  4. spell — magic
  5. mark — a grade
  6. field — farmland
  7. craft — a skill
  8. press — newspapers
  9. field — a subject
  10. spell — a short time
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. squash — the sport
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. cap — a hat
  16. cap — of ice
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. cap — a lid
  19. squash — to crush
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. field — for sport
  22. spell — letters
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. mark — a trace

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