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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 124 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 function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. field — for sport
  3. field — farmland
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. spring — the season
  6. date — the fruit
  7. chip — for betting
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. net — for catching
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. chip — to eat
  12. spring — a coil
  13. press — to push
  14. press — a publisher
  15. net — after costs
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. spring — of water
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. field — a subject
  23. net — in sport
  24. safe — a strongbox

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