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

  1. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. can — a tin
  3. mate — a friend
  4. rest — a break
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. press — newspapers
  8. rest — what's left
  9. charge — in control
  10. pound — a weight
  11. clip — to cut
  12. can — a tin
  13. press — a publisher
  14. tear — from crying
  15. mate — to breed
  16. charge — electricity
  17. clip — for paper
  18. press — to push
  19. clip — a video
  20. can — to be able to
  21. tear — from crying
  22. charge — a price
  23. tear — to rip
  24. rest — what's left

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