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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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. field — a subject
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. pound — a weight
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. field — farmland
  7. press — newspapers
  8. chair — a leader
  9. mate — to breed
  10. chest — a box
  11. stock — goods
  12. press — to push
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. mate — a partner
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. chest — of your body
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. stock — shares
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. field — for sport
  21. mate — a friend
  22. press — a publisher
  23. chest — of your body
  24. stock — a soup base

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