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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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. present — a gift
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. ground — crushed
  6. swing — to play on
  7. staff — employees
  8. ground — the earth
  9. press — to push
  10. last — finally
  11. staff — a stick
  12. roll — a cake
  13. staff — employees
  14. press — a publisher
  15. swing — in golf
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. swing — music
  18. present — there
  19. last — final
  20. press — newspapers
  21. roll — a list
  22. last — to go on
  23. present — the time now
  24. ground — a position

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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