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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: press · pit · can · ball · kick · arm · field · clip

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. field — farmland
  4. press — to push
  5. ball — a great time
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. can — a tin
  8. clip — to cut
  9. can — to be able to
  10. clip — a video
  11. clip — for paper
  12. pit — in a race
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. ball — a dance
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. can — a tin
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. field — a subject
  19. pit — a hole
  20. press — newspapers
  21. kick — in football
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. press — a publisher
  24. kick — with a leg

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