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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. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. wound — an injury
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. wake — a trail
  8. pound — a weight
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. pit — a hole
  11. press — to push
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. kid — to tease
  14. kid — child
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. wound — an injury
  17. root — the cause
  18. press — a publisher
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. root — of a word
  23. root — of a plant
  24. press — newspapers

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