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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. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. press — to push
  3. press — a publisher
  4. field — a subject
  5. field — farmland
  6. rash — a series
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. march — the month
  11. fine — all right
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. bark — to shout
  15. fine — high quality
  16. press — newspapers
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. march — the month
  19. rash — hasty
  20. mine — for digging
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. march — music

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