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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. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. press — a publisher
  3. press — to push
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. march — music
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. root — of a plant
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. pit — a hole
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. field — farmland
  13. field — a subject
  14. march — the month
  15. press — newspapers
  16. dip — to sink
  17. field — for sport
  18. root — of a word
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. march — the month
  21. root — the cause
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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