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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 stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. net — in sport
  3. clip — a video
  4. bear — the animal
  5. rash — a series
  6. bear — the animal
  7. press — newspapers
  8. staff — employees
  9. press — a publisher
  10. net — after costs
  11. can — a tin
  12. press — to push
  13. clip — to cut
  14. field — a subject
  15. staff — employees
  16. net — for catching
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. can — to be able to
  19. can — a tin
  20. rash — hasty
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. staff — a stick
  23. field — farmland
  24. clip — for paper

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