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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. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. face — to confront
  3. press — to push
  4. press — newspapers
  5. march — the month
  6. march — music
  7. march — the month
  8. net — for catching
  9. shower — to wash
  10. net — in sport
  11. net — after costs
  12. pop — to visit
  13. field — farmland
  14. firm — decided
  15. face — to point toward
  16. face — part of the head
  17. firm — steady
  18. firm — a company
  19. press — a publisher
  20. pop — music
  21. field — a subject
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. shower — rain
  24. pop — soda

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