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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. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. ground — a position
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. degree — from a university
  5. ground — the earth
  6. staff — employees
  7. pound — a weight
  8. press — a publisher
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. ground — crushed
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. press — to push
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. drill — army training
  15. swing — music
  16. swing — in golf
  17. press — newspapers
  18. drill — a practice
  19. staff — a stick
  20. staff — employees
  21. degree — temperature
  22. swing — to play on
  23. chair — a leader
  24. degree — an amount

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