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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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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 · kid · snap · bowl · cabinet · press · file · patient

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. press — a publisher
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. press — newspapers
  8. press — to push
  9. kid — child
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. kid — to tease
  12. snap — to click
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. file — a document
  17. file — a tool
  18. field — farmland
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. file — a line of people
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. field — a subject
  24. patient — a sick person

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