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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. field — a subject
  3. snap — to click
  4. press — a publisher
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. band — a music group
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. press — newspapers
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. field — for sport
  21. press — to push
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. band — a ring

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