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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: field · pit · fan · ball · bay · press · tear · straw

  1. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. pit — a hole
  3. tear — from crying
  4. ball — a dance
  5. field — for sport
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. ball — a great time
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. press — newspapers
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. pit — in a race
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. press — a publisher
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. press — to push
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. field — farmland
  20. tear — to rip
  21. field — a subject
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. tear — from crying

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