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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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. press — to push
  3. chair — a leader
  4. present — the time now
  5. field — for sport
  6. branch — a division
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. press — a publisher
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. bat — the animal
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. drill — the tool
  15. present — a gift
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. press — newspapers
  18. present — there
  19. field — a subject
  20. rush — hurry
  21. field — farmland
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. drill — army training

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