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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: cap · press · arm · straw · mouse · ground · pit · mine

  1. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. ground — crushed
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. pit — in a race
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. pit — a hole
  7. press — a publisher
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. mine — for digging
  14. cap — a lid
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. cap — of ice
  17. cap — a hat
  18. press — to push
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. ground — the earth
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. ground — a position

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