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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 120 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. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. cell — a phone
  3. net — for catching
  4. scale — in music
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. cell — in biology
  7. press — to push
  8. net — in sport
  9. press — newspapers
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. net — after costs
  13. field — farmland
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. press — a publisher
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. field — for sport
  19. scale — size or range
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. field — a subject

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