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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. press — a publisher
  4. drill — a practice
  5. last — finally
  6. hand — in cards
  7. last — to go on
  8. current — of water
  9. last — final
  10. drill — army training
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. stand — to bear
  13. capital — a city
  14. field — a subject
  15. capital — money
  16. drill — the tool
  17. current — electric
  18. field — for sport
  19. field — farmland
  20. press — newspapers
  21. press — to push
  22. current — happening now
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. hand — part of the body

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