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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 pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. object — an aim
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. field — for sport
  5. object — a thing
  6. wound — an injury
  7. wound — an injury
  8. field — farmland
  9. object — to protest
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. game — a match
  13. press — a publisher
  14. chest — of your body
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. chest — of your body
  18. pit — in a race
  19. press — newspapers
  20. chest — a box
  21. press — to push
  22. pit — a hole
  23. field — a subject
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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