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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. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. staff — employees
  4. press — newspapers
  5. can — to be able to
  6. can — a tin
  7. squash — to crush
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. row — a line
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. row — to paddle
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. can — a tin
  14. press — to push
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. staff — employees
  17. pound — a weight
  18. bore — to drill
  19. press — a publisher
  20. cell — a phone
  21. staff — a stick
  22. bore — to tire
  23. squash — the sport
  24. cell — in biology

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