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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 · race · press · content · rush · net · calf · mug

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. race — a contest
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. ground — a position
  7. net — for catching
  8. content — the amount
  9. net — after costs
  10. press — a publisher
  11. mug — a face
  12. ground — crushed
  13. press — to push
  14. mug — to rob
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. press — newspapers
  17. race — humankind
  18. mug — a cup
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. ground — the earth
  21. content — happy
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. race — the arms race
  24. net — in sport

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