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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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Word bank
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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. press — to push
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. mug — a cup
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. field — a subject
  7. press — newspapers
  8. press — a publisher
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. field — for sport
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. spring — the season
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. mug — a face
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. rush — hurry
  22. spring — a coil
  23. field — farmland
  24. spring — of water

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