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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. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. pitch — completely
  4. field — a subject
  5. suit — in cards
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. row — a line
  8. press — to push
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. press — a publisher
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. row — to paddle
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. field — for sport
  17. press — newspapers
  18. suit — to fit
  19. wake — a trail
  20. pound — a weight
  21. field — farmland
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. suit — clothes
  24. nail — for a hammer

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