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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. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  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. nail — for a hammer
  2. ground — the earth
  3. rush — hurry
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. current — of water
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. current — happening now
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. press — a publisher
  15. press — to push
  16. kid — to tease
  17. current — electric
  18. ground — a position
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. kid — child
  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