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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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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: last · fine · perch · field · kick · sharp · press · trunk

  1. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. last — final
  3. kick — in football
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. last — finally
  6. field — for sport
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. sharp — clever
  10. press — a publisher
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. field — a subject
  14. fine — all right
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. press — to push
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. press — newspapers
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. last — to go on
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. perch — the fish
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. field — farmland

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