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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. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. press — to push
  5. scale — in music
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. field — farmland
  8. squash — to crush
  9. capital — a city
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. mug — to rob
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. field — for sport
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. press — a publisher
  16. field — a subject
  17. press — newspapers
  18. foot — a measure
  19. squash — the sport
  20. mug — a cup
  21. mug — a face
  22. capital — money
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. scale — size or range

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