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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. object — to protest
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. object — a thing
  7. object — an aim
  8. press — a publisher
  9. race — humankind
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. press — to push
  12. pound — a weight
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. press — newspapers
  15. race — a contest
  16. hand — in cards
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. race — the arms race

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