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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.

Make a worksheet

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: mug · cabinet · field · bear · kick · dip · march · press

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. field — for sport
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. mug — to rob
  6. march — music
  7. mug — a face
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. dip — to sink
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. press — newspapers
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. press — a publisher
  15. field — a subject
  16. march — the month
  17. kick — in football
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. bear — the animal
  20. bear — the animal
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. mug — a cup
  23. field — farmland
  24. press — to push

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