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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  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. cabinet — ministers
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. bear — the animal
  6. swing — in golf
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. swing — to play on
  9. press — newspapers
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. bear — the animal
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. march — the month
  14. field — for sport
  15. march — music
  16. press — a publisher
  17. march — the month
  18. press — to push
  19. swing — music
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. rush — hurry
  23. field — farmland
  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