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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. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. press — to push
  6. press — a publisher
  7. ground — a position
  8. charge — electricity
  9. track — a song
  10. charge — a price
  11. net — in sport
  12. net — after costs
  13. net — for catching
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. charge — in control
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. roll — a list
  20. track — a path
  21. ground — the earth
  22. track — to keep track
  23. press — newspapers
  24. ground — crushed

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