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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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. field — for sport
  3. press — to push
  4. cap — of ice
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. press — newspapers
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. cap — a lid
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. charge — a price
  11. tube — a container
  12. charge — electricity
  13. tube — the underground
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. field — farmland
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. fork — in a road
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. cap — a hat
  21. charge — in control
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. field — a subject

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