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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: cold · kick · kid · sharp · pit · face · field · press

  1. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. sharp — clever
  3. press — newspapers
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. face — to confront
  7. kick — in football
  8. field — farmland
  9. press — a publisher
  10. cold — not warm
  11. field — for sport
  12. field — a subject
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. press — to push
  15. pit — a hole
  16. kid — child
  17. face — to point toward
  18. kid — to tease
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. cold — an illness
  24. face — part of the head

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