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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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. field — for sport
  3. race — a contest
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. spring — of water
  7. race — the arms race
  8. press — a publisher
  9. roll — a list
  10. press — to push
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. race — humankind
  15. stand — to bear
  16. press — newspapers
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. spring — the season
  19. field — farmland
  20. roll — a cake
  21. perch — the fish
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. spring — a coil

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