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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 120 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. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. mark — a trace
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. press — newspapers
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. ground — the earth
  11. stock — shares
  12. last — to go on
  13. ground — crushed
  14. press — a publisher
  15. press — to push
  16. stock — goods
  17. dip — to sink
  18. last — finally
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. last — final
  22. mark — a grade
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. calf — a young animal

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