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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 120 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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. press — a publisher
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. pop — soda
  5. ground — the earth
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. ground — a position
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. pop — music
  12. pop — to visit
  13. race — the arms race
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. race — a contest
  16. stock — shares
  17. mine — for digging
  18. stock — goods
  19. press — to push
  20. chair — a leader
  21. press — newspapers
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. race — humankind
  24. mine — belonging to me

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