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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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. cue — a hint
  3. field — for sport
  4. fine — all right
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. field — a subject
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. fall — to drop
  9. fall — to drop
  10. field — farmland
  11. fine — high quality
  12. press — to push
  13. press — a publisher
  14. cue — a signal
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. wound — an injury
  18. cue — for pool
  19. snap — to click
  20. wound — an injury
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. press — newspapers

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