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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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. ground — the earth
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. spring — of water
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. rush — hurry
  7. drill — a practice
  8. press — to push
  9. ground — crushed
  10. drill — the tool
  11. press — newspapers
  12. drill — army training
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. face — to point toward
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. face — to confront
  17. saw — the tool
  18. spring — the season
  19. saw — the tool
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. face — part of the head
  23. spring — a coil
  24. ground — a position

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