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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. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. spring — a coil
  3. field — for sport
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. field — a subject
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. rash — a series
  8. press — to push
  9. press — a publisher
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. court — of law
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. spring — of water
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. mug — to rob
  16. mug — a cup
  17. court — of a king
  18. lie — to recline
  19. mug — a face
  20. field — farmland
  21. rash — hasty
  22. press — newspapers
  23. court — for sport
  24. spring — the season

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