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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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  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. spell — magic
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. bore — to tire
  8. bore — to drill
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. spell — a short time
  11. rash — hasty
  12. rash — a series
  13. board — a committee
  14. press — newspapers
  15. field — for sport
  16. squash — the sport
  17. press — to push
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. board — to get on
  20. spell — letters
  21. field — farmland
  22. squash — to crush
  23. foot — a measure
  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