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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: land · wave · mug · press · race · ground · wind · pitch

  1. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. land — ground
  3. ground — a position
  4. ground — crushed
  5. race — humankind
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. pitch — completely
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. mug — to rob
  10. land — a country
  11. mug — a cup
  12. race — a contest
  13. press — to push
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. wind — moving air
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. race — the arms race
  18. ground — the earth
  19. mug — a face
  20. wind — moving air
  21. land — to come down
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. press — newspapers
  24. press — a publisher

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