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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. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. net — for catching
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. press — a publisher
  6. season — in sport
  7. season — of the year
  8. field — a subject
  9. press — newspapers
  10. content — the amount
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. press — to push
  13. content — happy
  14. fork — in a road
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. bore — to drill
  17. net — after costs
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. bore — to tire
  21. net — in sport
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. field — farmland
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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