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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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  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. field — a subject
  2. foot — a measure
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. field — farmland
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. rash — hasty
  7. press — newspapers
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. track — to keep track
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. track — a path
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. press — to push
  16. spring — a coil
  17. spring — the season
  18. track — a song
  19. field — for sport
  20. rash — a series
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. spring — of water
  23. arm — part of the body
  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