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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. ground — crushed
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. press — to push
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. last — to go on
  9. press — a publisher
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. press — newspapers
  13. ground — a position
  14. last — finally
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. bark — to shout
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. last — final

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