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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. press — newspapers
  3. fine — all right
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. field — a subject
  6. pop — soda
  7. track — a path
  8. press — to push
  9. track — to keep track
  10. vault — a safe
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. pop — music
  17. fine — high quality
  18. pop — to visit
  19. field — for sport
  20. field — farmland
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. press — a publisher
  23. date — the fruit
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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