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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. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  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. firm — decided
  2. firm — a company
  3. ground — crushed
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. press — to push
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. sharp — clever
  11. rash — a series
  12. track — a song
  13. chest — of your body
  14. ground — the earth
  15. rash — hasty
  16. chest — of your body
  17. track — a path
  18. press — a publisher
  19. ground — a position
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. chest — a box
  22. track — to keep track
  23. firm — steady
  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