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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: can · nail · press · bound · racket · field · foot · sharp

  1. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. can — a tin
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. press — newspapers
  7. sharp — clever
  8. bound — tied together
  9. can — to be able to
  10. bound — certain
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. field — a subject
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. press — to push
  15. field — for sport
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. press — a publisher
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. foot — a measure
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. can — a tin
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. bound — obliged
  24. field — farmland

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