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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: game · kick · toast · degree · face · field · press · craft

  1. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. face — part of the head
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. press — a publisher
  5. press — newspapers
  6. game — wild animals
  7. press — to push
  8. toast — bread
  9. game — a match
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. degree — from a university
  12. field — for sport
  13. degree — an amount
  14. field — farmland
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. face — to confront
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. degree — temperature
  19. craft — a skill
  20. field — a subject
  21. craft — boats
  22. face — to point toward
  23. kick — in football
  24. kick — a thrill

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