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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. field — a subject
  4. pop — music
  5. pop — to visit
  6. press — a publisher
  7. can — a tin
  8. pop — soda
  9. season — of the year
  10. press — to push
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. chip — to eat
  13. press — newspapers
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. chip — for betting
  16. can — a tin
  17. perch — the fish
  18. can — to be able to
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. season — in sport
  21. rest — a break
  22. field — for sport
  23. rest — what's left
  24. rest — what's left

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