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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. spell — a short time
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. swing — music
  5. swing — to play on
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. row — a line
  8. swing — in golf
  9. land — ground
  10. land — a country
  11. rock — music
  12. land — to come down
  13. field — for sport
  14. row — to paddle
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. press — a publisher
  18. field — farmland
  19. press — to push
  20. spell — letters
  21. rock — a stone
  22. spell — magic
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. field — a subject

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