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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. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. march — music
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. press — to push
  5. wound — an injury
  6. field — a subject
  7. press — a publisher
  8. court — of law
  9. field — farmland
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. field — for sport
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. press — newspapers
  16. rock — music
  17. scale — size or range
  18. court — of a king
  19. march — the month
  20. march — the month
  21. wound — an injury
  22. deal — to handle
  23. court — for sport
  24. scale — in music

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