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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. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. field — for sport
  4. hand — help
  5. court — of law
  6. pop — music
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. last — to go on
  9. court — for sport
  10. hand — in cards
  11. field — farmland
  12. pop — soda
  13. pop — to visit
  14. press — a publisher
  15. court — of a king
  16. last — final
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. last — finally
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. press — newspapers
  23. field — a subject
  24. lie — to recline

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