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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: last · court · field · kick · temple · press · lie · firm

  1. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. firm — decided
  3. court — for sport
  4. press — newspapers
  5. last — finally
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. court — of law
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. press — a publisher
  11. kick — in football
  12. firm — a company
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. court — of a king
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. press — to push
  18. firm — steady
  19. field — for sport
  20. last — to go on
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. last — final
  23. lie — to recline
  24. field — a subject

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