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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. hand — help
  4. rash — a series
  5. branch — a division
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. press — to push
  8. field — for sport
  9. hand — in cards
  10. rash — hasty
  11. pit — in a race
  12. press — a publisher
  13. pass — a permit
  14. can — to be able to
  15. field — farmland
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. press — newspapers
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. pit — a hole
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. can — a tin
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. can — a tin
  24. field — a subject

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