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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 120 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: sharp · land · temple · bowl · kid · ground · race · press

  1. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. press — to push
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. ground — a position
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. race — a contest
  9. land — a country
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. sharp — clever
  13. press — a publisher
  14. land — to come down
  15. ground — crushed
  16. press — newspapers
  17. kid — to tease
  18. land — ground
  19. ground — the earth
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. race — the arms race
  23. race — humankind
  24. kid — child

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