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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. spell — letters
  3. field — for sport
  4. spell — magic
  5. field — a subject
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. board — to get on
  10. press — newspapers
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. spell — a short time
  13. snap — to click
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. wound — an injury
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. press — a publisher
  19. board — a committee
  20. field — farmland
  21. press — to push
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. wound — an injury

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