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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 ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. club — for dancing
  3. press — newspapers
  4. club — for golf
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. fall — to drop
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. press — a publisher
  9. rash — a series
  10. land — ground
  11. field — a subject
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. land — a country
  14. fall — the season
  15. land — to come down
  16. club — a group
  17. press — to push
  18. rest — what's left
  19. rash — hasty
  20. snap — to click
  21. fall — to drop
  22. field — for sport
  23. field — farmland
  24. rest — a break

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