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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 116 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: drill · cold · bound · press · row · ground · stock · chip

  1. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. stock — goods
  3. press — a publisher
  4. drill — army training
  5. ground — the earth
  6. cold — not warm
  7. ground — a position
  8. row — a line
  9. row — to paddle
  10. drill — a practice
  11. cold — an illness
  12. chip — for betting
  13. chip — to eat
  14. stock — shares
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. press — newspapers
  17. press — to push
  18. drill — the tool
  19. bound — certain
  20. bound — obliged
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. ground — crushed
  24. bound — tied together

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