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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. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. net — in sport
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. net — for catching
  7. press — newspapers
  8. press — a publisher
  9. rash — hasty
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. net — after costs
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. field — a subject
  15. current — of water
  16. current — electric
  17. field — for sport
  18. present — the time now
  19. present — there
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. current — happening now
  22. field — farmland
  23. press — to push
  24. present — a gift

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