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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. press — to push
  3. pop — music
  4. pop — to visit
  5. press — a publisher
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. ground — the earth
  8. spring — a coil
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. press — newspapers
  11. ground — crushed
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. spring — the season
  14. sharp — clever
  15. bore — to drill
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. bore — to tire
  21. ground — a position
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. spring — of water
  24. pitcher — a jug

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