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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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  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. field — a subject
  2. field — farmland
  3. bass — the fish
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. charge — a price
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. ground — a position
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. bass — low music
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. ground — crushed
  12. ground — the earth
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. press — to push
  15. field — for sport
  16. lie — to recline
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. press — a publisher
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. charge — electricity
  23. charge — in control
  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