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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  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. hide — to keep secret
  2. land — ground
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. land — a country
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. degree — temperature
  8. craft — boats
  9. press — newspapers
  10. swing — in golf
  11. stand — to bear
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. land — to come down
  14. press — to push
  15. ground — crushed
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. swing — to play on
  18. degree — from a university
  19. ground — a position
  20. swing — music
  21. degree — an amount
  22. ground — the earth
  23. craft — a skill
  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