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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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. field — a subject
  3. stand — to bear
  4. pit — in a race
  5. press — a publisher
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. hand — in cards
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. march — music
  10. field — for sport
  11. press — newspapers
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. press — to push
  14. toast — bread
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. march — the month
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. march — the month
  19. field — farmland
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. hand — help
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. pit — a hole

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