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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. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. ground — a position
  6. press — a publisher
  7. toast — bread
  8. ground — crushed
  9. root — the cause
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. ball — a great time
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. root — of a plant
  14. press — to push
  15. perch — the fish
  16. firm — steady
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. root — of a word
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. ball — a dance
  21. firm — decided
  22. firm — a company
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. press — newspapers

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