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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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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: saw · rule · foot · mouse · racket · chip · press · field

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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. mouse — the animal
  4. press — to push
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. foot — a measure
  7. rule — government
  8. rule — a law
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. field — for sport
  15. chip — to eat
  16. saw — the tool
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. chip — for betting
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. press — a publisher
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. saw — the tool
  24. press — newspapers

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