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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. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. ground — crushed
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. ground — the earth
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. tear — from crying
  7. press — a publisher
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. ground — a position
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. plane — a tool
  14. tear — to rip
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. tear — from crying
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. press — to push
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. pitch — completely
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. chair — a leader
  24. chair — to sit on

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