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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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. press — newspapers
  4. bark — to shout
  5. press — to push
  6. ball — a great time
  7. perch — the fish
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. field — farmland
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. bound — obliged
  12. bound — tied together
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. press — a publisher
  16. bound — certain
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. pitch — completely
  20. ball — a dance
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. snap — to click
  23. field — for sport
  24. bark — of a tree

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