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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 captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. board — to get on
  3. ground — the earth
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. ground — crushed
  6. season — of the year
  7. press — to push
  8. board — a committee
  9. net — after costs
  10. clip — a video
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. press — newspapers
  15. net — for catching
  16. clip — for paper
  17. net — in sport
  18. clip — to cut
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. season — in sport
  21. press — a publisher
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. perch — the fish

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