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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. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. cap — of ice
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. field — a subject
  5. press — a publisher
  6. current — of water
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. cap — a lid
  9. current — happening now
  10. cue — for pool
  11. cue — a hint
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. clip — to cut
  14. cap — a hat
  15. field — farmland
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. press — to push
  18. press — newspapers
  19. clip — for paper
  20. cue — a signal
  21. clip — a video
  22. dip — to sink
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. current — electric

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