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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. press — newspapers
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. file — a document
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. press — a publisher
  8. row — to paddle
  9. file — a line of people
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. foot — a measure
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. degree — from a university
  14. squash — the sport
  15. pound — a weight
  16. degree — temperature
  17. file — a tool
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. squash — to crush
  21. wake — a trail
  22. press — to push
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. row — a line

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