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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. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. press — a publisher
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. mine — for digging
  8. degree — temperature
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. field — farmland
  11. field — for sport
  12. press — newspapers
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. press — to push
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. degree — an amount
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. field — a subject
  22. degree — from a university
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. mine — an explosive

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