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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. press — a publisher
  4. ground — a position
  5. stand — to bear
  6. net — in sport
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. ground — crushed
  9. band — a ring
  10. pop — music
  11. net — for catching
  12. wound — an injury
  13. ground — the earth
  14. band — a music group
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. pop — to visit
  18. press — newspapers
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. press — to push
  21. net — after costs
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. dip — to sink
  24. pop — soda

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