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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. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. pit — in a race
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. pitch — completely
  6. bass — low music
  7. file — a document
  8. bass — the fish
  9. object — an aim
  10. press — newspapers
  11. field — farmland
  12. object — a thing
  13. file — a tool
  14. object — to protest
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. press — a publisher
  17. file — a line of people
  18. rule — government
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. rule — a law
  21. pit — a hole
  22. press — to push
  23. field — for sport
  24. pitch — a sports field

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