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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. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. field — a subject
  4. press — to push
  5. bulb — for light
  6. field — for sport
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. staff — employees
  10. field — farmland
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. press — newspapers
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. bulb — for light
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. staff — a stick
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. cue — a signal
  21. press — a publisher
  22. cue — for pool
  23. cue — a hint
  24. staff — employees

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