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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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. press — newspapers
  3. mate — to breed
  4. press — to push
  5. mark — a trace
  6. press — a publisher
  7. field — a subject
  8. prune — to trim
  9. wake — a trail
  10. ground — the earth
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. mate — a partner
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. prune — to trim
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. mate — a friend
  20. ground — crushed
  21. field — farmland
  22. field — for sport
  23. mark — a grade
  24. lash — an eyelash

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