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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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. object — to protest
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. ground — the earth
  5. pit — in a race
  6. press — newspapers
  7. cold — an illness
  8. object — an aim
  9. face — to confront
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. ground — crushed
  12. face — part of the head
  13. object — a thing
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. press — to push
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. pit — a hole
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. press — a publisher
  22. cold — not warm
  23. face — to point toward
  24. chair — a leader

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