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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. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. press — a publisher
  3. press — newspapers
  4. prune — to trim
  5. fine — all right
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. court — of law
  8. ground — crushed
  9. foot — a measure
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. prune — to trim
  12. saw — the tool
  13. press — to push
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. court — for sport
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. saw — the tool
  19. fine — high quality
  20. court — of a king
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. ground — a position
  23. mine — for digging
  24. mine — belonging to me

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