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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. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. ground — a position
  3. scale — in music
  4. scale — size or range
  5. press — to push
  6. ground — crushed
  7. rash — a series
  8. press — a publisher
  9. board — to get on
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. board — a committee
  16. file — a tool
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. rash — hasty
  19. file — a document
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. press — newspapers
  23. file — a line of people
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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