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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. ground — the earth
  3. file — a tool
  4. ground — a position
  5. ground — crushed
  6. squash — to crush
  7. hand — in cards
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. file — a line of people
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. hand — help
  14. branch — a division
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. file — a document
  17. press — a publisher
  18. deal — to handle
  19. press — to push
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. press — newspapers
  24. deal — a big deal

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