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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 stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. game — a match
  3. field — farmland
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. key — in music
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. press — newspapers
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. kick — in football
  12. rash — a series
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. press — a publisher
  16. key — for a lock
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. game — wild animals
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. key — the most important part
  21. rash — hasty
  22. field — a subject
  23. press — to push
  24. hide — to keep secret

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