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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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Word bank
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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 · season · capital · lean · rash · drill · chest · press

  1. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. ground — the earth
  3. chest — a box
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. drill — army training
  6. drill — a practice
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. ground — a position
  9. ground — crushed
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. capital — a city
  13. chest — of your body
  14. press — newspapers
  15. season — in sport
  16. chest — of your body
  17. drill — the tool
  18. press — to push
  19. lean — to bend
  20. lean — thin
  21. capital — money
  22. season — of the year
  23. press — a publisher
  24. rash — hasty

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