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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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. land — ground
  4. press — newspapers
  5. toast — bread
  6. press — a publisher
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. ground — the earth
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. present — a gift
  11. firm — decided
  12. land — a country
  13. drill — the tool
  14. ground — crushed
  15. land — to come down
  16. press — to push
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. drill — a practice
  19. drill — army training
  20. firm — a company
  21. present — there
  22. firm — steady
  23. present — the time now
  24. mine — for digging

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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