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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. present — a gift
  3. press — a publisher
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. spell — a short time
  6. press — to push
  7. present — there
  8. present — the time now
  9. spell — letters
  10. ground — a position
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. saw — the tool
  14. wound — an injury
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. saw — the tool
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. press — newspapers
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. ground — crushed
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. spell — magic
  23. ground — the earth
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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