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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. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. cue — for pool
  3. press — to push
  4. cue — a signal
  5. band — a ring
  6. pop — soda
  7. band — a music group
  8. clip — to cut
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. pop — to visit
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. pound — a weight
  13. press — a publisher
  14. clip — for paper
  15. wake — a trail
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. pop — music
  20. press — newspapers
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. cue — a hint
  24. clip — a video

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