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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.

Make a worksheet

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: mug · stick · net · spell · field · cold · present · press

  1. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. field — a subject
  3. mug — a cup
  4. field — farmland
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. present — a gift
  7. spell — magic
  8. spell — a short time
  9. spell — letters
  10. net — after costs
  11. net — for catching
  12. present — there
  13. present — the time now
  14. press — to push
  15. cold — an illness
  16. mug — to rob
  17. press — newspapers
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. press — a publisher
  20. field — for sport
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. cold — not warm
  23. net — in sport
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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