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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.

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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: march · racket · stick · fall · hide · field · firm · press

  1. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. fall — the season
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. firm — a company
  7. fall — to drop
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. firm — steady
  10. field — for sport
  11. firm — decided
  12. press — a publisher
  13. march — the month
  14. press — newspapers
  15. field — farmland
  16. march — the month
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. fall — to drop
  19. field — a subject
  20. press — to push
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. march — music

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