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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. last — final
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. kid — to tease
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. press — newspapers
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. pound — a weight
  11. stand — to bear
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. press — a publisher
  14. last — to go on
  15. tube — a container
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. tube — the underground
  21. press — to push
  22. kid — child
  23. wake — a trail
  24. stand — on your feet

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