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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 116 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
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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: rest · press · bat · spell · wake · lie · field · cap

  1. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. spell — letters
  3. press — to push
  4. wake — a trail
  5. cap — a lid
  6. press — newspapers
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. spell — a short time
  10. field — farmland
  11. rest — what's left
  12. field — for sport
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. lie — to recline
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. bat — the animal
  18. cap — of ice
  19. rest — a break
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. rest — what's left
  22. press — a publisher
  23. cap — a hat
  24. field — a subject

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