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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. press — a publisher
  3. drill — army training
  4. firm — steady
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. firm — decided
  8. saw — the tool
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. press — newspapers
  12. ground — the earth
  13. capital — a city
  14. firm — a company
  15. ground — a position
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. drill — a practice
  18. drill — the tool
  19. capital — money
  20. stand — to bear
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. ground — crushed
  23. press — to push
  24. stand — for spectators

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