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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: pit · press · scale · ground · snap · kick · present · file

  1. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. present — the time now
  3. present — there
  4. scale — in music
  5. ground — the earth
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. ground — a position
  8. present — a gift
  9. file — a line of people
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. kick — in football
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. file — a tool
  15. ground — crushed
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. scale — size or range
  18. file — a document
  19. snap — to click
  20. pit — a hole
  21. press — a publisher
  22. pit — in a race
  23. press — to push
  24. press — newspapers

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