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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. ground — a position
  6. pass — a permit
  7. ground — the earth
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. present — the time now
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. press — a publisher
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. press — newspapers
  15. file — a document
  16. file — a tool
  17. present — a gift
  18. press — to push
  19. present — there
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. ground — crushed
  24. file — a line of people

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