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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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. When will it ________________ you to start?
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. suit — in cards
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. bass — low music
  5. press — newspapers
  6. press — a publisher
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. suit — clothes
  9. squash — to crush
  10. press — to push
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. squash — the sport
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. suit — to fit
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. field — for sport
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. bass — the fish
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. field — farmland
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. date — the fruit

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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