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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 function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. press — a publisher
  4. field — a subject
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. press — to push
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. rash — hasty
  10. mark — a grade
  11. shower — rain
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. mate — a partner
  14. mark — a trace
  15. field — for sport
  16. mate — to breed
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. snap — to click
  19. shower — to wash
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. mate — a friend
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. rash — a series
  24. field — farmland

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