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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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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: lash · pass · bear · foot · cabinet · press · field · ball

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. field — a subject
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. press — newspapers
  6. field — farmland
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. foot — a measure
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. field — for sport
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. ball — a great time
  15. press — to push
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. ball — a dance
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. bear — the animal
  21. pass — a permit
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. bear — the animal

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