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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. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. band — a music group
  3. chip — to eat
  4. ground — crushed
  5. last — to go on
  6. toast — bread
  7. ground — a position
  8. fork — in a road
  9. last — finally
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. last — final
  12. chip — for betting
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. sharp — clever
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. press — a publisher
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. press — newspapers
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. press — to push
  24. ground — the earth

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