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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 120 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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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 · arm · cabinet · field · bowl · racket · kick · foot

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  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. press — a publisher
  2. press — to push
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. field — for sport
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. press — newspapers
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. foot — a measure
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. field — farmland
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. kick — in football
  23. racket — a loud noise
  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