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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. ground — the earth
  3. ground — crushed
  4. press — a publisher
  5. wound — an injury
  6. press — to push
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. dip — to sink
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. present — the time now
  11. press — newspapers
  12. hand — help
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. ground — a position
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. rush — hurry
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. present — there
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. hand — in cards
  24. wound — an injury

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