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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 stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. net — for catching
  3. press — to push
  4. net — after costs
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. press — a publisher
  7. root — of a word
  8. net — in sport
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. root — the cause
  12. scale — in music
  13. scale — size or range
  14. field — farmland
  15. field — a subject
  16. chair — a leader
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. press — newspapers
  21. root — of a plant
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. deal — to handle
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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