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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. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  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. squash — the vegetable
  2. press — a publisher
  3. field — for sport
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. face — to confront
  6. face — to point toward
  7. sharp — clever
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. squash — to crush
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. squash — the sport
  16. press — newspapers
  17. face — part of the head
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. field — farmland
  21. pass — a permit
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. press — to push
  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