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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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. squash — the sport
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. field — for sport
  6. press — a publisher
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. staff — a stick
  9. suit — to fit
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. suit — in cards
  13. staff — employees
  14. pitch — completely
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. suit — clothes
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. field — farmland
  19. wax — to grow
  20. field — a subject
  21. squash — to crush
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. press — newspapers
  24. press — to push

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