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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. field — a subject
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. can — a tin
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. kid — to tease
  9. kid — child
  10. field — farmland
  11. can — to be able to
  12. press — newspapers
  13. season — in sport
  14. season — of the year
  15. pass — a permit
  16. press — a publisher
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. can — a tin
  20. field — for sport
  21. press — to push
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. bowl — a dish

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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