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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 120 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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. field — a subject
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. cue — for pool
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. press — to push
  7. drill — the tool
  8. press — a publisher
  9. field — for sport
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. mug — a cup
  13. drill — a practice
  14. cue — a signal
  15. cue — a hint
  16. mug — a face
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. deal — to handle
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. mug — to rob
  22. drill — army training
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. press — newspapers

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