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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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. last — final
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. last — finally
  7. field — a subject
  8. rush — hurry
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. field — for sport
  11. last — to go on
  12. mine — for digging
  13. pop — soda
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. pop — music
  16. press — newspapers
  17. press — to push
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. snap — to click
  21. press — a publisher
  22. pop — to visit
  23. field — farmland
  24. mine — an explosive

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