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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. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  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. club — for golf
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. clip — for paper
  4. rock — a stone
  5. press — a publisher
  6. press — to push
  7. field — for sport
  8. bore — to tire
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. club — a group
  12. press — newspapers
  13. rock — music
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. staff — employees
  16. staff — a stick
  17. clip — a video
  18. staff — employees
  19. bore — to drill
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. club — for dancing
  22. clip — to cut
  23. field — farmland
  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