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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 president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. face — to confront
  5. drill — a practice
  6. squash — the sport
  7. press — to push
  8. drill — army training
  9. current — happening now
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. current — electric
  12. current — of water
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. face — part of the head
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. face — to point toward
  18. plane — a tool
  19. press — newspapers
  20. press — a publisher
  21. pound — a weight
  22. drill — the tool
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. nail — for a hammer

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