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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 hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. field — a subject
  3. object — a thing
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. game — wild animals
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. game — a match
  8. field — farmland
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. press — a publisher
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. hand — help
  13. foot — a measure
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. object — an aim
  17. press — newspapers
  18. field — for sport
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. object — to protest
  22. press — to push
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. hand — in cards

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