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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 120 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. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. press — to push
  3. press — newspapers
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. field — farmland
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. lie — to recline
  9. file — a line of people
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. cell — in biology
  12. file — a document
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. field — a subject
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. pitch — completely
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. field — for sport
  21. press — a publisher
  22. cell — a phone
  23. file — a tool
  24. lie — an untruth

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