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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 120 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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. press — a publisher
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. swing — to play on
  7. dip — to sink
  8. field — for sport
  9. fine — all right
  10. bass — low music
  11. press — newspapers
  12. fine — high quality
  13. swing — in golf
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. bass — the fish
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. press — to push
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. file — a line of people
  20. file — a document
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. swing — music
  23. field — a subject
  24. file — a tool

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