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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. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. rest — a break
  4. press — a publisher
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. swing — music
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. swing — in golf
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. rest — what's left
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. press — to push
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. perch — the fish
  16. rest — what's left
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. swing — to play on
  19. kick — in football
  20. field — a subject
  21. press — newspapers
  22. squash — the sport
  23. field — for sport
  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