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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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. mug — to rob
  3. clip — to cut
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. press — newspapers
  7. field — a subject
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. mug — a cup
  10. field — for sport
  11. bound — certain
  12. press — a publisher
  13. ball — a dance
  14. clip — for paper
  15. bound — obliged
  16. press — to push
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. field — farmland
  19. clip — a video
  20. mug — a face
  21. last — to go on
  22. last — finally
  23. bound — tied together
  24. last — final

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