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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. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. press — newspapers
  3. game — wild animals
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. ground — a position
  7. net — for catching
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. rule — government
  10. field — a subject
  11. press — to push
  12. game — a match
  13. ground — the earth
  14. fork — in a road
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. net — in sport
  18. ground — crushed
  19. press — a publisher
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. net — after costs
  23. rule — a law
  24. field — farmland

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