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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 function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. field — farmland
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. field — for sport
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. foot — a measure
  9. rule — government
  10. press — to push
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. board — a committee
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. field — a subject
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. press — a publisher
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. fork — in a road
  19. cold — not warm
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. board — to get on
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. rule — a law
  24. cold — an illness

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