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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: wound · chip · pound · press · kick · ground

  1. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. ground — crushed
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. chip — for betting
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. press — to push
  9. press — newspapers
  10. chip — to eat
  11. wound — an injury
  12. pound — a weight
  13. kick — in football
  14. ground — the earth
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. press — a publisher
  17. wound — an injury
  18. 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