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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. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. suit — to fit
  3. shower — to wash
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. clip — for paper
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. shower — rain
  8. press — a publisher
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. squash — to crush
  12. rule — government
  13. press — newspapers
  14. suit — in cards
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. clip — a video
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. pound — a weight
  19. suit — clothes
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. squash — the sport
  22. rule — a law
  23. clip — to cut
  24. press — to push

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