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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. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. press — newspapers
  4. field — farmland
  5. field — for sport
  6. current — electric
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. firm — a company
  10. swing — music
  11. current — happening now
  12. firm — steady
  13. press — to push
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. press — a publisher
  16. firm — decided
  17. field — a subject
  18. fall — the season
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. swing — to play on
  21. fall — to drop
  22. fall — to drop
  23. swing — in golf
  24. current — of water

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