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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. press — newspapers
  3. ground — crushed
  4. press — a publisher
  5. snap — to click
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. press — to push
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. ground — a position
  11. spring — the season
  12. ground — the earth
  13. file — a tool
  14. spring — of water
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. land — to come down
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. spring — a coil
  20. land — a country
  21. file — a line of people
  22. file — a document
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. land — ground

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