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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: pound · press · field · race · temple · nail · fine · mug

  1. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. race — humankind
  4. pound — a weight
  5. mug — a cup
  6. press — to push
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. fine — high quality
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. race — the arms race
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. press — a publisher
  14. mug — a face
  15. field — farmland
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. fine — all right
  19. field — for sport
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. field — a subject
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. race — a contest
  24. press — newspapers

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