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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: press · foot · rush · game · cap · cold · field · fine

  1. The water is too ________________.
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. press — newspapers
  3. press — a publisher
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. field — for sport
  6. fine — all right
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. rush — hurry
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. field — a subject
  13. cap — of ice
  14. cap — a hat
  15. cold — an illness
  16. field — farmland
  17. press — to push
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. game — wild animals
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. game — a match
  22. foot — a measure
  23. cap — a lid
  24. fine — high quality

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