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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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. press — to push
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. shower — rain
  7. season — in sport
  8. track — a path
  9. season — of the year
  10. press — a publisher
  11. bear — the animal
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. current — happening now
  15. plane — a tool
  16. current — of water
  17. ground — crushed
  18. track — a song
  19. shower — to wash
  20. bear — the animal
  21. press — newspapers
  22. track — to keep track
  23. ground — the earth
  24. current — electric

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