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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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. press — newspapers
  3. toast — bread
  4. cold — an illness
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. deal — to handle
  7. press — a publisher
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. press — to push
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. field — farmland
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. net — for catching
  16. net — after costs
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. cold — not warm
  19. field — for sport
  20. net — in sport
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. field — a subject

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