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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. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. pound — a weight
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. squash — to crush
  8. chest — of your body
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. chest — a box
  14. scale — size or range
  15. squash — the sport
  16. date — the fruit
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. press — to push
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. press — a publisher
  21. chest — of your body
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. press — newspapers
  24. arm — a part of something

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