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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 124 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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. court — for sport
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. court — of law
  5. field — for sport
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. land — a country
  8. land — to come down
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. press — to push
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. field — farmland
  13. hand — in cards
  14. press — a publisher
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. hand — help
  18. press — newspapers
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. branch — a division
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. field — a subject
  23. court — of a king
  24. deal — to handle

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