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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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. fall — the season
  3. mine — for digging
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. press — a publisher
  7. press — to push
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. fall — to drop
  10. field — for sport
  11. fall — to drop
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. press — newspapers
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. toast — bread
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. field — a subject
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. field — farmland
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. deal — to handle
  24. wake — a trail

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