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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 116 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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. wound — an injury
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. board — a committee
  5. kid — child
  6. pound — a weight
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. kid — to tease
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. wound — an injury
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. capital — a city
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. press — a publisher
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. capital — money
  21. board — to get on
  22. press — newspapers
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. nail — on a finger

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