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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: press · mine · kick · rest · field · nail · mug · rule

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. rule — a law
  3. rest — a break
  4. mug — a face
  5. press — to push
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. rule — government
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. press — newspapers
  11. rest — what's left
  12. field — farmland
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. mug — to rob
  15. mug — a cup
  16. rest — what's left
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. field — for sport
  19. kick — in football
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. mine — for digging
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. press — a publisher
  24. nail — for a hammer

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