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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 124 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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  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. game — wild animals
  2. press — newspapers
  3. press — to push
  4. cold — an illness
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. branch — a division
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. ground — crushed
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. object — to protest
  11. ground — a position
  12. press — a publisher
  13. object — a thing
  14. drill — a practice
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. drill — the tool
  18. ground — the earth
  19. cold — not warm
  20. game — a match
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. drill — army training
  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