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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. season — in sport
  3. press — a publisher
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. press — newspapers
  6. press — to push
  7. ground — a position
  8. season — of the year
  9. kick — in football
  10. ground — crushed
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. ground — the earth
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. squash — the sport
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. pound — a weight
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. squash — to crush
  23. stem — to come from
  24. kick — a thrill

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