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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.

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 · rule · foot · rash · pitch · shower · march

  1. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. press — a publisher
  3. press — newspapers
  4. pitch — completely
  5. rash — a series
  6. field — farmland
  7. march — the month
  8. field — a subject
  9. rule — a law
  10. shower — to wash
  11. press — to push
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. rule — government
  17. foot — a measure
  18. march — music
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. march — the month
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. field — for sport
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. rash — hasty

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