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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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. press — a publisher
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. clip — for paper
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. fine — high quality
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. press — newspapers
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. fine — all right
  12. field — for sport
  13. press — to push
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. bat — the animal
  17. field — farmland
  18. clip — to cut
  19. field — a subject
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. clip — a video
  24. jam — in traffic

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