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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. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. press — a publisher
  3. field — farmland
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. court — for sport
  7. court — of a king
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. court — of law
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. snap — to click
  17. pound — a weight
  18. press — newspapers
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. field — for sport
  21. field — a subject
  22. press — to push
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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