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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 function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. pop — soda
  3. ground — a position
  4. press — to push
  5. ground — the earth
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. drill — the tool
  8. wake — a trail
  9. rule — government
  10. season — of the year
  11. season — in sport
  12. drill — army training
  13. ground — crushed
  14. game — wild animals
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. game — a match
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. drill — a practice
  19. pop — music
  20. rule — a law
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. pop — to visit
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. press — a publisher

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