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

Word bank: ground · pound · rule · craft · rest · press

  1. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. ground — the earth
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. craft — a skill
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. press — a publisher
  8. rest — a break
  9. rule — government
  10. rest — what's left
  11. ground — a position
  12. rest — what's left
  13. rule — a law
  14. craft — boats
  15. press — newspapers
  16. press — to push
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. pound — a weight

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