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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: race · press · craft · rush · drill · content · ground · row

  1. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. race — humankind
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. race — the arms race
  5. press — newspapers
  6. ground — a position
  7. content — happy
  8. press — to push
  9. drill — army training
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. row — a line
  12. press — a publisher
  13. row — to paddle
  14. rush — hurry
  15. craft — a skill
  16. drill — the tool
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. drill — a practice
  20. content — the amount
  21. race — a contest
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. craft — boats
  24. ground — crushed

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