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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
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: press · lie · scale · snap · court · mate · mine · field

  1. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. field — a subject
  3. scale — size or range
  4. field — for sport
  5. mate — a partner
  6. snap — to click
  7. mate — a friend
  8. press — to push
  9. scale — in music
  10. court — of law
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. lie — to recline
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. court — of a king
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. field — farmland
  20. court — for sport
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. mate — to breed
  23. press — a publisher
  24. mine — for digging

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