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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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. club — a group
  3. club — for golf
  4. dip — to sink
  5. club — for dancing
  6. mark — a grade
  7. spell — a short time
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. spell — letters
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. mark — a trace
  16. ground — a position
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. ground — crushed
  19. press — newspapers
  20. spell — magic
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. press — to push
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. ground — the earth

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