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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. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. press — to push
  5. degree — temperature
  6. pound — a weight
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. foot — a measure
  10. last — to go on
  11. press — a publisher
  12. rock — a stone
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. shower — to wash
  15. degree — an amount
  16. degree — from a university
  17. shower — rain
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. last — final
  20. press — newspapers
  21. last — finally
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. rock — music

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