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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. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. press — to push
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. mark — a grade
  6. kid — to tease
  7. press — newspapers
  8. march — the month
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. field — farmland
  11. march — music
  12. field — a subject
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. kid — child
  15. mark — a trace
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. field — for sport
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. march — the month
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. press — a publisher

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