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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. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. ground — the earth
  3. present — there
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. present — a gift
  6. mug — a face
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. ground — crushed
  9. track — a song
  10. track — to keep track
  11. press — a publisher
  12. mug — a cup
  13. game — a match
  14. mug — to rob
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. ground — a position
  17. press — newspapers
  18. craft — boats
  19. track — a path
  20. craft — a skill
  21. present — the time now
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. game — wild animals
  24. jam — to spread on bread

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