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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.

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: field · jam · scale · press · dip · capital · land · pitcher

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. press — newspapers
  3. field — for sport
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. press — a publisher
  7. scale — in music
  8. scale — size or range
  9. land — a country
  10. land — ground
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. land — to come down
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. field — farmland
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. capital — a city
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. press — to push
  22. dip — to sink
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. capital — money

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