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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 120 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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. press — newspapers
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. bound — certain
  5. net — for catching
  6. press — a publisher
  7. press — to push
  8. field — for sport
  9. bore — to tire
  10. net — in sport
  11. game — wild animals
  12. season — in sport
  13. chest — of your body
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. bore — to drill
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. chest — a box
  18. field — farmland
  19. chest — of your body
  20. bound — obliged
  21. bound — tied together
  22. field — a subject
  23. net — after costs
  24. game — a match

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