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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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. stem — to come from
  3. ground — crushed
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. press — to push
  7. ground — the earth
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. press — a publisher
  10. land — a country
  11. pass — a permit
  12. rule — government
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. land — to come down
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. land — ground
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. rule — a law
  24. press — newspapers

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