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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. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. ball — a dance
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. field — for sport
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. ground — the earth
  8. squash — the sport
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. ball — a great time
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. land — ground
  13. land — a country
  14. ground — crushed
  15. ground — a position
  16. squash — to crush
  17. field — a subject
  18. press — to push
  19. press — a publisher
  20. field — farmland
  21. dip — to sink
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. bark — to shout
  24. land — to come down

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