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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. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. land — ground
  3. land — a country
  4. dip — to sink
  5. land — to come down
  6. rash — a series
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. field — a subject
  9. field — for sport
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. field — farmland
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. present — there
  14. rash — hasty
  15. present — a gift
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. track — to keep track
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. press — a publisher
  21. track — a song
  22. press — to push
  23. track — a path
  24. present — the time now

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