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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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. swing — to play on
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. fall — to drop
  5. press — newspapers
  6. rock — a stone
  7. fine — high quality
  8. fine — all right
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. rock — music
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. press — to push
  13. swing — in golf
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. court — for sport
  16. press — a publisher
  17. court — of law
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. field — farmland
  20. court — of a king
  21. swing — music
  22. fall — to drop
  23. field — for sport
  24. field — a subject

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