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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 124 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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. field — a subject
  3. press — to push
  4. field — for sport
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. press — newspapers
  8. fine — all right
  9. file — a line of people
  10. toast — bread
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. ball — a great time
  14. fine — high quality
  15. field — farmland
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. ball — a dance
  21. press — a publisher
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. file — a document

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