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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. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. fall — to drop
  3. field — a subject
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. cap — a lid
  6. press — newspapers
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. ground — the earth
  9. press — to push
  10. game — wild animals
  11. field — for sport
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. cap — a hat
  14. field — farmland
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. fall — to drop
  19. fall — the season
  20. cap — of ice
  21. game — a match
  22. ground — a position
  23. press — a publisher
  24. ground — crushed

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