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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 124 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. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. club — a group
  3. last — final
  4. ground — crushed
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. cold — not warm
  8. branch — a division
  9. club — for dancing
  10. chair — a leader
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. press — a publisher
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. cold — an illness
  17. fine — high quality
  18. press — newspapers
  19. press — to push
  20. last — finally
  21. ground — a position
  22. club — for golf
  23. last — to go on
  24. fine — all right

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