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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 pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. press — to push
  3. kid — child
  4. ground — crushed
  5. press — newspapers
  6. kid — to tease
  7. ground — a position
  8. branch — a division
  9. game — a match
  10. mark — a grade
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. race — the arms race
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. race — a contest
  16. race — humankind
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. dip — to sink
  19. press — a publisher
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. ground — the earth
  24. mark — a trace

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