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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 got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. press — newspapers
  3. hand — help
  4. field — farmland
  5. press — to push
  6. field — a subject
  7. field — for sport
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. fork — in a road
  10. cap — a hat
  11. pitch — completely
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. press — a publisher
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. cap — a lid
  17. bat — the animal
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. cap — of ice
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. bat — in an idiom

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