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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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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. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. kick — in football
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. press — a publisher
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. press — newspapers
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. field — for sport
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. firm — steady
  12. press — to push
  13. band — a music group
  14. firm — a company
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. chip — for betting
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. firm — decided
  20. band — a ring
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. chip — to eat
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. field — a subject

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