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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. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. court — of law
  4. press — a publisher
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. mine — for digging
  7. press — to push
  8. saw — the tool
  9. toast — bread
  10. saw — the tool
  11. bass — the fish
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. bass — low music
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. ground — crushed
  17. court — of a king
  18. court — for sport
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. press — newspapers
  21. ground — a position
  22. rash — a series
  23. rash — hasty
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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