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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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. press — a publisher
  3. squash — the sport
  4. squash — to crush
  5. bound — tied together
  6. press — newspapers
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. ground — the earth
  10. ground — crushed
  11. wax — to grow
  12. tear — from crying
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. tear — from crying
  15. bound — certain
  16. race — a contest
  17. race — humankind
  18. race — the arms race
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. press — to push
  21. tear — to rip
  22. rush — hurry
  23. bound — obliged
  24. rush — to hurry

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