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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 120 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
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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: wave · wind · firm · field · march · press · game · mate

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. game — wild animals
  3. wind — moving air
  4. mate — a partner
  5. press — newspapers
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. field — for sport
  8. mate — to breed
  9. march — music
  10. press — to push
  11. field — farmland
  12. firm — steady
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. field — a subject
  15. march — the month
  16. march — the month
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. mate — a friend
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. press — a publisher
  22. firm — a company
  23. wind — moving air
  24. firm — decided

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