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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 120 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. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. plane — a tool
  6. press — newspapers
  7. saw — the tool
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. wound — an injury
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. pitch — completely
  13. bass — low music
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. wound — an injury
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. press — a publisher
  20. saw — the tool
  21. press — to push
  22. bass — the fish
  23. pound — a weight
  24. snap — to click

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