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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.

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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: mug · press · stand · deal · field · kid · board · dip

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. kid — to tease
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. press — to push
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. mug — a face
  9. board — to get on
  10. field — for sport
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. press — a publisher
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. kid — child
  15. dip — to sink
  16. press — newspapers
  17. mug — a cup
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. stand — to bear
  20. field — farmland
  21. board — a committee
  22. deal — to handle
  23. mug — to rob
  24. stand — for spectators

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