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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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. club — a group
  3. press — to push
  4. wind — moving air
  5. cell — a phone
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. cell — in biology
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. press — a publisher
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. fall — to drop
  13. ground — the earth
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. club — for dancing
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. fall — to drop
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. press — newspapers
  20. wind — moving air
  21. ground — a position
  22. fall — the season
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. club — for golf

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