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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. press — a publisher
  4. press — to push
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. charge — electricity
  8. charge — a price
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. field — farmland
  11. press — newspapers
  12. net — in sport
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. field — for sport
  15. net — after costs
  16. dip — to sink
  17. net — for catching
  18. field — a subject
  19. lean — to bend
  20. charge — in control
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. dip — to dunk

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