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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. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. track — to keep track
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. track — a song
  5. track — a path
  6. press — newspapers
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. press — a publisher
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. current — happening now
  14. pound — a weight
  15. wake — a trail
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. current — electric
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. current — of water
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. sharp — clever
  24. pound — for dogs

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