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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. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. field — a subject
  5. press — a publisher
  6. last — to go on
  7. dip — to sink
  8. field — farmland
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. bound — certain
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. last — final
  15. bound — obliged
  16. scale — size or range
  17. press — newspapers
  18. bound — tied together
  19. last — finally
  20. press — to push
  21. stock — shares
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. stock — goods
  24. field — for sport

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