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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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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: field · race · craft · stand · ground · press · snap · mouse

  1. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. race — a contest
  3. ground — crushed
  4. race — the arms race
  5. ground — a position
  6. field — a subject
  7. snap — to click
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. ground — the earth
  11. craft — a skill
  12. field — for sport
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. race — humankind
  15. craft — boats
  16. press — newspapers
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. press — to push
  20. field — farmland
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. press — a publisher
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. mouse — the animal

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