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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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. press — to push
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. press — newspapers
  6. press — a publisher
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. pass — a permit
  9. ground — a position
  10. present — the time now
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. present — a gift
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. ground — crushed
  16. ball — a great time
  17. ground — the earth
  18. ball — a dance

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