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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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. ground — a position
  3. press — a publisher
  4. deal — to handle
  5. bark — to shout
  6. ground — the earth
  7. sharp — clever
  8. court — for sport
  9. press — newspapers
  10. net — after costs
  11. press — to push
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. court — of law
  15. toast — bread
  16. net — in sport
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. court — of a king
  20. net — for catching
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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