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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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. sharp — clever
  3. mine — for digging
  4. field — farmland
  5. press — to push
  6. cap — a lid
  7. cap — a hat
  8. field — for sport
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. present — there
  11. saw — the tool
  12. club — for golf
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. present — the time now
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. club — for dancing
  17. cap — of ice
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. club — a group
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. saw — the tool
  22. press — a publisher
  23. press — newspapers
  24. present — a gift

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