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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: pit · press · ground · spring · race · calf · field · swing

  1. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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. spring — the season
  4. pit — in a race
  5. race — humankind
  6. pit — a hole
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. race — a contest
  9. swing — to play on
  10. ground — a position
  11. spring — of water
  12. press — a publisher
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. spring — a coil
  15. field — farmland
  16. swing — music
  17. field — for sport
  18. swing — in golf
  19. press — newspapers
  20. press — to push
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. field — a subject
  23. race — the arms race
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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