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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: press · foot · pit · tube · race · ground · game · scale

  1. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. game — a match
  4. press — a publisher
  5. tube — the underground
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. pit — in a race
  8. foot — a measure
  9. race — a contest
  10. game — wild animals
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. press — newspapers
  13. ground — the earth
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. pit — a hole
  16. ground — a position
  17. race — humankind
  18. tube — a container
  19. race — the arms race
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. press — to push
  22. scale — size or range
  23. scale — in music
  24. game — a kind of play

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