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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. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. press — newspapers
  3. ground — the earth
  4. net — for catching
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. ground — crushed
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. wake — a trail
  11. bound — certain
  12. snap — to click
  13. net — after costs
  14. bound — obliged
  15. ground — a position
  16. bound — tied together
  17. press — a publisher
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. net — in sport
  21. kid — to tease
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. kid — child
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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