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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. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. field — farmland
  3. file — a document
  4. march — the month
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. march — music
  7. file — a line of people
  8. field — a subject
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. rush — hurry
  14. file — a tool
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. press — newspapers
  17. field — for sport
  18. march — the month
  19. toast — bread
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. stand — to bear
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. press — a publisher

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