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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. ground — crushed
  3. press — a publisher
  4. stem — to come from
  5. mark — a grade
  6. ground — a position
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. press — to push
  11. mark — a trace
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. bat — the animal
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. sharp — clever
  16. press — newspapers
  17. board — a committee
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. ground — the earth
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. board — to get 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