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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. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. press — newspapers
  3. net — for catching
  4. fall — to drop
  5. press — to push
  6. pound — a weight
  7. fall — the season
  8. rash — hasty
  9. net — in sport
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. rash — a series
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. row — to paddle
  15. field — for sport
  16. saw — the tool
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. saw — the tool
  19. press — a publisher
  20. field — farmland
  21. field — a subject
  22. fall — to drop
  23. net — after costs
  24. row — a quarrel

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