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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 120 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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. ground — the earth
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. ground — a position
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. press — newspapers
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. season — of the year
  12. press — to push
  13. ground — crushed
  14. clip — to cut
  15. scale — in music
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. clip — a video
  19. field — a subject
  20. press — a publisher
  21. field — farmland
  22. season — in sport
  23. field — for sport
  24. clip — for paper

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