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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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. snap — to click
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. track — to keep track
  6. face — part of the head
  7. face — to point toward
  8. press — to push
  9. field — for sport
  10. face — to confront
  11. field — farmland
  12. press — newspapers
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. track — a path
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. key — in music
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. key — for a lock
  20. fork — in a road
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. key — the most important part
  23. track — a song
  24. press — a publisher

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