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

  1. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. last — to go on
  3. net — after costs
  4. ground — a position
  5. net — in sport
  6. wake — a trail
  7. ground — crushed
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. hand — help
  10. hand — in cards
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. last — final
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. net — for catching
  15. ground — the earth
  16. dip — to sink
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. last — finally
  22. press — to push
  23. press — newspapers
  24. press — a publisher

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