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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. tube — a container
  3. tube — the underground
  4. pop — to visit
  5. kick — in football
  6. field — for sport
  7. prune — to trim
  8. field — a subject
  9. fine — all right
  10. fine — high quality
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. pop — music
  13. press — to push
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. field — farmland
  16. press — a publisher
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. prune — to trim
  19. rash — hasty
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. pop — soda
  23. rash — a series
  24. press — newspapers

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