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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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. suit — to fit
  3. suit — in cards
  4. last — finally
  5. field — a subject
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. press — newspapers
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. spring — of water
  10. field — farmland
  11. spring — the season
  12. net — after costs
  13. suit — clothes
  14. net — for catching
  15. vault — a safe
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. dip — to sink
  18. net — in sport
  19. last — final
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. spring — a coil
  22. press — a publisher
  23. press — to push
  24. field — for 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