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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 strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. firm — a company
  3. wind — moving air
  4. field — for sport
  5. field — a subject
  6. craft — a skill
  7. press — newspapers
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. press — to push
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. press — a publisher
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. kid — child
  16. craft — boats
  17. firm — decided
  18. kid — to tease
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. firm — steady
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. field — farmland

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