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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 120 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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. mate — to breed
  4. press — to push
  5. can — to be able to
  6. file — a tool
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. file — a document
  9. track — to keep track
  10. press — newspapers
  11. field — for sport
  12. field — a subject
  13. wake — a trail
  14. mate — a friend
  15. track — a song
  16. press — a publisher
  17. can — a tin
  18. track — a path
  19. field — farmland
  20. mate — a partner
  21. file — a line of people
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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