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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
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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: game · clip · saw · squash · pitcher · can · press · field

  1. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. clip — for paper
  4. can — to be able to
  5. game — wild animals
  6. saw — the tool
  7. press — newspapers
  8. squash — to crush
  9. field — a subject
  10. can — a tin
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. squash — the sport
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. can — a tin
  15. saw — the tool
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. field — farmland
  18. clip — a video
  19. clip — to cut
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. press — a publisher
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. field — for sport
  24. game — a match

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