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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. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. mug — to rob
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. press — a publisher
  5. squash — the sport
  6. court — of law
  7. pound — a weight
  8. court — of a king
  9. rash — a series
  10. drill — a practice
  11. press — newspapers
  12. press — to push
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. bat — the animal
  16. squash — to crush
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. drill — the tool
  19. court — for sport
  20. rash — hasty
  21. mug — a face
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. mug — a cup

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