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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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. deal — to handle
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. press — a publisher
  5. press — to push
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. fall — the season
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. track — to keep track
  10. ball — a dance
  11. ball — a great time
  12. track — a path
  13. fall — to drop
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. track — a song
  16. field — for sport
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. field — farmland
  21. press — newspapers
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. field — a subject
  24. fall — to drop

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