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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 haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. field — farmland
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. kick — in football
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. file — a document
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. press — to push
  11. press — a publisher
  12. wake — a trail
  13. file — a tool
  14. press — newspapers
  15. saw — the tool
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. field — a subject
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. field — for sport
  22. file — a line of people
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. saw — the 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