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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 120 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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. scale — in music
  4. mate — a partner
  5. ground — a position
  6. land — ground
  7. firm — steady
  8. ground — the earth
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. press — a publisher
  11. firm — decided
  12. press — newspapers
  13. land — to come down
  14. kid — child
  15. kid — to tease
  16. mate — to breed
  17. mate — a friend
  18. press — to push
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. scale — size or range
  22. snap — to click
  23. firm — a company
  24. land — a country

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