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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: present · ball · last · press · fine · ground · staff · kid

  1. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. ground — the earth
  3. present — a gift
  4. kid — child
  5. last — final
  6. staff — employees
  7. fine — high quality
  8. staff — a stick
  9. ground — crushed
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. present — there
  12. last — to go on
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. press — newspapers
  15. last — finally
  16. present — the time now
  17. staff — employees
  18. fine — all right
  19. press — a publisher
  20. ground — a position
  21. kid — to tease
  22. ball — a great time
  23. press — to push
  24. ball — a round shape

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