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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. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. press — newspapers
  3. cap — a lid
  4. field — for sport
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. face — to confront
  7. rash — hasty
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. face — to point toward
  10. press — to push
  11. press — a publisher
  12. ball — a dance
  13. cap — a hat
  14. drill — army training
  15. cap — of ice
  16. drill — the tool
  17. field — farmland
  18. field — a subject
  19. face — part of the head
  20. rash — a series
  21. ball — a great time
  22. drill — a practice
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. kick — a thrill

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