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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. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. press — a publisher
  3. season — in sport
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. season — of the year
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. pound — a weight
  9. band — a ring
  10. face — to point toward
  11. band — a music group
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. face — to confront
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. press — to push
  18. bulb — for light
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. press — newspapers
  22. bulb — for light
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. face — part of the head

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