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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: field · rule · cabinet · press · sharp · bass · spell · season

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. rule — government
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. field — farmland
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. spell — letters
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. bass — the fish
  10. bass — low music
  11. spell — a short time
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. press — a publisher
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. season — of the year
  16. field — for sport
  17. sharp — clever
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. field — a subject
  20. rule — a law
  21. press — to push
  22. spell — magic
  23. press — newspapers
  24. season — in sport

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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