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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. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. mark — a grade
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. field — farmland
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. deal — to handle
  8. press — a publisher
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. prune — to trim
  14. dip — to sink
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. field — for sport
  18. mark — a trace
  19. season — in sport
  20. season — of the year
  21. press — newspapers
  22. prune — to trim
  23. field — a subject
  24. press — to push

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