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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. clip — for paper
  3. press — a publisher
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. ground — the earth
  6. pitch — completely
  7. press — to push
  8. press — newspapers
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. lie — to recline
  11. land — ground
  12. kid — to tease
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. ground — a position
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. mug — a cup
  17. mug — to rob
  18. clip — a video
  19. land — to come down
  20. clip — to cut
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. land — a country
  23. kid — child
  24. ground — crushed

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