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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: staff · ground · pop · press · kid · safe · drill · lash

  1. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. kid — child
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. staff — employees
  5. drill — army training
  6. staff — employees
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. ground — a position
  9. press — a publisher
  10. pop — music
  11. staff — a stick
  12. drill — a practice
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. press — to push
  16. kid — to tease
  17. press — newspapers
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. pop — soda
  20. drill — the tool
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. pop — to visit
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. ground — the earth

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