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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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. season — in sport
  4. last — finally
  5. press — to push
  6. ground — the earth
  7. bark — to shout
  8. cap — a hat
  9. object — a thing
  10. present — the time now
  11. press — newspapers
  12. press — a publisher
  13. object — to protest
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. ground — crushed
  16. last — to go on
  17. season — of the year
  18. present — a gift
  19. cap — of ice
  20. cap — a lid
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. last — final
  23. present — there
  24. object — an aim

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