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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 train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  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. stand — on your feet
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. mug — a cup
  4. field — a subject
  5. field — for sport
  6. march — music
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. press — to push
  9. pitch — completely
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. press — a publisher
  12. perch — the fish
  13. march — the month
  14. march — the month
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. mug — a face
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. field — farmland
  21. stand — to bear
  22. mug — to rob
  23. temple — a place of worship
  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