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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. race — humankind
  4. ground — the earth
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. ground — crushed
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. race — the arms race
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. press — to push
  14. bound — tied together
  15. ground — a position
  16. race — a contest
  17. press — a publisher
  18. bound — obliged
  19. board — to get on
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. press — newspapers
  22. board — a committee
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. bound — certain

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