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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 120 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 soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. court — of law
  3. rock — music
  4. pop — to visit
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. pop — music
  7. press — to push
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. pop — soda
  12. drill — the tool
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. field — farmland
  15. rock — a stone
  16. court — for sport
  17. mine — for digging
  18. field — for sport
  19. press — a publisher
  20. court — of a king
  21. field — a subject
  22. press — newspapers
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. drill — a practice

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