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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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. field — for sport
  3. bear — the animal
  4. bear — the animal
  5. swing — music
  6. press — newspapers
  7. press — a publisher
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. mate — a friend
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. mate — a partner
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. mate — to breed
  17. swing — to play on
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. field — a subject
  20. swing — in golf
  21. press — to push
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. field — farmland

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