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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. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. press — a publisher
  3. row — a line
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. field — for sport
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. fall — to drop
  8. pit — a hole
  9. fall — to drop
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. press — newspapers
  14. row — to paddle
  15. pit — in a race
  16. fall — the season
  17. wake — a trail
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. ball — a dance
  20. field — farmland
  21. press — to push
  22. field — a subject
  23. ball — a great time
  24. pound — a weight

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