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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 120 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. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. chip — to eat
  3. lean — to bend
  4. pound — a weight
  5. press — to push
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. press — newspapers
  8. tube — the underground
  9. staff — employees
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. vault — a safe
  12. cap — of ice
  13. chip — for betting
  14. staff — a stick
  15. press — a publisher
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. staff — employees
  18. tube — a container
  19. lean — thin
  20. cap — a lid
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. cap — a hat
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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