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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. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. shower — to wash
  4. chair — a leader
  5. press — to push
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. track — a song
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. track — a path
  10. press — a publisher
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. pound — a weight
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. press — newspapers
  17. ground — the earth
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. ground — a position
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. track — to keep track
  22. ground — crushed
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. shower — rain

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