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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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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: wax · press · pit · court · pound · row · race · ground

  1. There's no middle ________________.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. pit — a hole
  3. court — of law
  4. ground — crushed
  5. court — for sport
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. row — a line
  8. pound — a weight
  9. pit — in a race
  10. press — to push
  11. press — newspapers
  12. ground — the earth
  13. race — the arms race
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. race — humankind
  16. press — a publisher
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. race — a contest
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. row — to paddle
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. court — of a king
  24. wax — to grow

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