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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
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: kid · bat · lie · bowl · field · last · press · can

  1. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. press — newspapers
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. field — farmland
  6. can — to be able to
  7. field — for sport
  8. last — finally
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. kid — to tease
  12. last — final
  13. field — a subject
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. press — a publisher
  16. press — to push
  17. last — to go on
  18. can — a tin
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. kid — child
  23. lie — to recline
  24. can — a tin

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