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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 116 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: rush · cabinet · hand · field · track · face · swing · press

  1. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  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. face — to point toward
  2. swing — in golf
  3. face — part of the head
  4. track — to keep track
  5. swing — music
  6. field — for sport
  7. rush — hurry
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. hand — in cards
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. swing — to play on
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. face — to confront
  15. hand — help
  16. press — newspapers
  17. press — to push
  18. track — a song
  19. field — farmland
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. track — a path
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. press — a publisher
  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