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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: kid · cabinet · press · foot · field · safe · bore · mate

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. mate — to breed
  4. bore — to tire
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. press — newspapers
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. field — for sport
  9. press — to push
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. kid — to tease
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. bore — to drill
  15. field — farmland
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. foot — a measure
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. mate — a friend
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. kid — child
  23. mate — a partner
  24. press — a publisher

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