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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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. pit — in a race
  3. fine — high quality
  4. bass — the fish
  5. press — to push
  6. season — of the year
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. ground — crushed
  9. press — a publisher
  10. pit — a hole
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. ground — the earth
  13. bass — low music
  14. season — in sport
  15. mate — a partner
  16. press — newspapers
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. fine — all right
  19. mate — to breed
  20. face — to confront
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. mate — a friend
  23. face — part of the head
  24. face — to point toward

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