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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: fork · object · press · can · deal · game · field · shower

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. deal — to handle
  4. field — for sport
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. game — wild animals
  7. can — a tin
  8. press — newspapers
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. object — to protest
  11. press — to push
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. fork — in a road
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. field — farmland
  17. game — a match
  18. can — to be able to
  19. object — an aim
  20. press — a publisher
  21. can — a tin
  22. shower — to wash
  23. object — a thing
  24. shower — rain

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