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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. suit — to fit
  3. ball — a dance
  4. spring — a coil
  5. rash — a series
  6. field — farmland
  7. can — a tin
  8. press — newspapers
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. suit — in cards
  11. suit — clothes
  12. spring — the season
  13. press — to push
  14. tear — from crying
  15. field — a subject
  16. spring — of water
  17. tear — from crying
  18. can — to be able to
  19. can — a tin
  20. tear — to rip
  21. field — for sport
  22. press — a publisher
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. ball — a great time

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