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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 116 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 didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. press — a publisher
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. field — a subject
  6. field — farmland
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. wake — a trail
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. dip — to sink
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. press — to push
  15. squash — to crush
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. field — for sport
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. squash — the sport
  21. rule — a law
  22. rule — government
  23. press — newspapers
  24. leaves — to go away

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