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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.

Make a worksheet

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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. can — a tin
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. chair — a leader
  5. press — newspapers
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. key — in music
  8. can — to be able to
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. press — to push
  12. field — a subject
  13. key — for a lock
  14. field — for sport
  15. perch — the fish
  16. key — the most important part
  17. press — a publisher
  18. can — a tin
  19. march — music
  20. march — the month
  21. march — the month
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. chair — a professorship

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