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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. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. ground — crushed
  3. ground — a position
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. press — to push
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. club — a group
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. rock — music
  11. club — for dancing
  12. lean — to bend
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. rock — a stone
  16. lean — thin
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. press — newspapers
  20. cold — an illness
  21. club — for golf
  22. press — a publisher
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. cold — not warm

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