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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 120 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. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. ball — a great time
  3. ball — a dance
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. ground — crushed
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. press — to push
  9. press — a publisher
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. stand — to bear
  12. spring — a coil
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. sharp — clever
  15. ground — the earth
  16. chair — a leader
  17. spring — the season
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. ground — a position
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. spring — of water
  22. press — newspapers
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. lie — to recline

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