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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: lie · face · staff · field · press · jam · ground · drill

  1. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. drill — the tool
  3. field — for sport
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. face — part of the head
  7. ground — the earth
  8. field — farmland
  9. lie — to recline
  10. press — a publisher
  11. staff — employees
  12. press — newspapers
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. staff — employees
  15. field — a subject
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. drill — a practice
  18. ground — a position
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. ground — crushed
  21. face — to point toward
  22. press — to push
  23. staff — a stick
  24. drill — army training

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