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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: kick · press · field · date · cue · arm · content · bass

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. date — the fruit
  3. kick — in football
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. press — newspapers
  7. press — a publisher
  8. cue — a signal
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. content — the amount
  12. press — to push
  13. bass — the fish
  14. cue — for pool
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. field — for sport
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. field — farmland
  20. cue — a hint
  21. bass — low music
  22. content — happy
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. date — on the calendar

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