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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 116 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 ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. ground — crushed
  3. ground — a position
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. press — a publisher
  7. track — a song
  8. track — to keep track
  9. track — a path
  10. press — to push
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. snap — to click
  14. ground — the earth
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. press — newspapers
  17. cold — not warm
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. rest — what's left
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. rest — a break
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. cold — an illness

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