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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. field — farmland
  3. press — newspapers
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. press — a publisher
  6. pound — a weight
  7. rash — hasty
  8. press — to push
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. field — a subject
  13. rock — a stone
  14. court — of a king
  15. shower — to wash
  16. court — for sport
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. rash — a series
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. shower — rain
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. field — for sport
  24. court — of law

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