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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. bound — obliged
  3. press — newspapers
  4. pop — music
  5. pop — soda
  6. land — to come down
  7. pop — to visit
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. ground — crushed
  10. land — ground
  11. wind — moving air
  12. bound — tied together
  13. ground — a position
  14. press — a publisher
  15. scale — in music
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. land — a country
  18. scale — size or range
  19. ground — the earth
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. press — to push
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. bound — certain

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