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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 play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. fine — all right
  3. field — a subject
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. field — for sport
  8. bass — the fish
  9. spell — a short time
  10. toast — bread
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. press — a publisher
  15. press — newspapers
  16. field — farmland
  17. spell — letters
  18. bass — low music
  19. press — to push
  20. spell — magic
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. fine — high quality
  24. mine — for digging

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