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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. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. pound — a weight
  4. toast — bread
  5. kid — child
  6. object — to protest
  7. field — for sport
  8. season — of the year
  9. object — a thing
  10. press — a publisher
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. season — in sport
  14. stand — to bear
  15. press — newspapers
  16. kid — to tease
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. press — to push
  21. object — an aim
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. field — farmland
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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