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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 · field · snap · land · ground · racket · press · content

  1. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. press — to push
  5. ground — crushed
  6. content — happy
  7. race — humankind
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. land — to come down
  10. land — a country
  11. ground — the earth
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. press — a publisher
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. content — the amount
  16. race — a contest
  17. ground — a position
  18. land — ground
  19. field — for sport
  20. field — farmland
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. race — the arms race
  23. field — a subject
  24. snap — to click

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