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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: root · race · press · perch · mouse · stand · ground · kick

  1. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. race — the arms race
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. press — newspapers
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. root — of a word
  9. perch — the fish
  10. ground — the earth
  11. stand — to bear
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. race — humankind
  14. kick — in football
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. root — of a plant
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. press — to push
  20. press — a publisher
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. race — a contest
  23. ground — a position
  24. root — the cause

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