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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. field — farmland
  3. bark — to shout
  4. press — to push
  5. press — a publisher
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. last — final
  11. field — for sport
  12. last — to go on
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. last — finally
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. pitch — completely
  20. field — a subject
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. press — newspapers
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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