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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. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. track — a path
  3. rest — what's left
  4. squash — to crush
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. press — to push
  8. press — a publisher
  9. field — a subject
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. field — for sport
  12. field — farmland
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. ground — crushed
  16. track — to keep track
  17. rest — a break
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. ground — a position
  20. rest — what's left
  21. track — a song
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. squash — the sport
  24. ground — the earth

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