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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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. ball — a great time
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. field — for sport
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. cue — a signal
  7. ball — a dance
  8. field — a subject
  9. tear — from crying
  10. press — a publisher
  11. press — to push
  12. cue — a hint
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. press — newspapers
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. net — for catching
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. tear — from crying
  20. net — in sport
  21. net — after costs
  22. cue — for pool
  23. tear — to rip
  24. plane — a 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