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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 the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. rock — music
  3. rock — a stone
  4. foot — a measure
  5. field — for sport
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. band — a ring
  8. cap — of ice
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. field — farmland
  14. cap — a lid
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. press — to push
  17. press — a publisher
  18. season — of the year
  19. season — in sport
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. band — a music group
  22. field — a subject
  23. cap — a hat
  24. press — newspapers

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