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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: file · press · field · pitcher · sharp · content · ground · nail

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. content — the amount
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. press — newspapers
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. press — a publisher
  7. press — to push
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. file — a line of people
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. ground — a position
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. file — a tool
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. ground — crushed
  16. field — for sport
  17. field — farmland
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. content — happy
  20. ground — the earth
  21. sharp — clever
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. file — a document
  24. nail — for a hammer

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