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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 124 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: fall · rash · pass · mouse · field · fan · press · kick

  1. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. fall — to drop
  3. field — for sport
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. field — a subject
  6. press — a publisher
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. field — farmland
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. press — newspapers
  12. rash — hasty
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. kick — in football
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. press — to push
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. fall — to drop
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. rash — a series
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. pass — a permit

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