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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 120 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. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. charge — a price
  4. press — to push
  5. game — a match
  6. field — farmland
  7. pitch — completely
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. charge — electricity
  11. rush — hurry
  12. game — wild animals
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. squash — to crush
  17. press — a publisher
  18. field — for sport
  19. charge — in control
  20. squash — the sport
  21. field — a subject
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. rush — to hurry

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