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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 116 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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  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. field — a subject
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. field — farmland
  4. tube — the underground
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. press — to push
  8. press — a publisher
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. present — a gift
  11. field — for sport
  12. spell — magic
  13. chip — for betting
  14. spell — letters
  15. pit — in a race
  16. pit — a hole
  17. tube — a container
  18. chip — to eat
  19. spell — a short time
  20. present — there
  21. present — the time now
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. fan — a supporter
  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