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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. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  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. club — a group
  2. press — newspapers
  3. spell — magic
  4. cap — a lid
  5. press — to push
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. club — for dancing
  8. spell — a short time
  9. spell — letters
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. club — for golf
  12. field — for sport
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. date — the fruit
  15. cap — of ice
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. field — farmland
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. cap — a hat
  20. shower — to wash
  21. shower — rain
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. press — a publisher
  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