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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. bulb — for light
  4. press — newspapers
  5. field — for sport
  6. face — part of the head
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. chip — to eat
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. press — a publisher
  11. face — to confront
  12. last — to go on
  13. press — to push
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. bulb — for light
  16. rush — hurry
  17. face — to point toward
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. bat — the animal
  20. last — final
  21. chip — for betting
  22. field — a subject
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. last — finally

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