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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 116 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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. snap — to click
  4. field — for sport
  5. press — a publisher
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. chip — for betting
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. field — farmland
  13. season — of the year
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. shower — rain
  18. chip — to eat
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. press — to push
  21. shower — to wash
  22. field — a subject
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. season — in sport

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