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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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. field — farmland
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. club — for golf
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. track — to keep track
  7. scale — size or range
  8. field — for sport
  9. track — a path
  10. track — a song
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. squash — to crush
  13. press — to push
  14. press — newspapers
  15. press — a publisher
  16. club — for dancing
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. scale — in music
  22. club — a group
  23. field — a subject
  24. squash — the sport

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