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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. field — a subject
  3. field — farmland
  4. last — final
  5. file — a document
  6. press — newspapers
  7. press — a publisher
  8. file — a line of people
  9. suit — in cards
  10. scale — in music
  11. perch — the fish
  12. suit — to fit
  13. file — a tool
  14. scale — size or range
  15. stand — to bear
  16. last — to go on
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. press — to push
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. field — for sport
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. suit — clothes
  24. stand — for spectators

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