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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: pop · stock · kick · press · chip · face · field · cell

  1. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. face — to confront
  3. cell — in biology
  4. kick — in football
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. stock — shares
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. stock — goods
  9. field — farmland
  10. cell — a phone
  11. press — newspapers
  12. face — to point toward
  13. face — part of the head
  14. press — to push
  15. pop — music
  16. chip — for betting
  17. pop — soda
  18. press — a publisher
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. pop — to visit
  22. field — a subject
  23. field — for sport
  24. chip — to eat

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