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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 124 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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: field · press · fork · capital · fine · rest

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. field — farmland
  3. fine — high quality
  4. fine — all right
  5. field — for sport
  6. rest — what's left
  7. press — a publisher
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. press — newspapers
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. capital — a city
  12. fork — in a road
  13. rest — a break
  14. rest — what's left
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. capital — money
  17. press — to push
  18. capital — a big letter

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