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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. press — newspapers
  3. fine — high quality
  4. bound — tied together
  5. field — for sport
  6. fine — all right
  7. bound — obliged
  8. press — to push
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. spring — the season
  12. lean — thin
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. press — a publisher
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. lean — to bend
  17. spring — of water
  18. spring — a coil
  19. present — a gift
  20. pitch — completely
  21. field — a subject
  22. bound — certain
  23. present — the time now
  24. present — there

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