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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: field · press · hide · fine · game · fork · net · foot

  1. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. field — for sport
  3. fine — high quality
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. fork — in a road
  6. fine — all right
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. net — after costs
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. press — newspapers
  11. field — farmland
  12. press — a publisher
  13. press — to push
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. foot — a measure
  18. game — wild animals
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. game — a match
  21. net — in sport
  22. field — a subject
  23. net — for catching
  24. game — a kind of play

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