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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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. can — a tin
  3. kid — child
  4. can — a tin
  5. chip — to eat
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. mug — to rob
  9. spring — a coil
  10. chip — for betting
  11. can — to be able to
  12. field — farmland
  13. press — newspapers
  14. spring — of water
  15. spring — the season
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. kid — to tease
  18. mug — a face
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. press — a publisher
  21. press — to push
  22. mug — a cup
  23. field — for sport
  24. leaves — to go away

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