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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: chair · mug · rash · mate · field · press · plane · track

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. mate — a friend
  4. field — for sport
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. mug — a cup
  7. press — a publisher
  8. rash — a series
  9. field — a subject
  10. field — farmland
  11. press — newspapers
  12. mug — a face
  13. mate — to breed
  14. mug — to rob
  15. track — to keep track
  16. mate — a partner
  17. track — a song
  18. track — a path
  19. chair — a leader
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. press — to push
  24. plane — 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