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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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. press — to push
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. sharp — clever
  7. ground — crushed
  8. wind — moving air
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. prune — to trim
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. press — a publisher
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. wind — moving air
  17. prune — to trim
  18. track — to keep track
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. track — a path
  21. ground — the earth
  22. track — a song
  23. press — newspapers
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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