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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. can — to be able to
  4. field — for sport
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. press — a publisher
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. press — newspapers
  10. can — a tin
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. field — a subject
  14. stand — to bear
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. content — happy
  17. content — the amount
  18. can — a tin
  19. bat — the animal
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. field — farmland
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. press — to push
  24. rush — a thrill

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