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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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. rock — a stone
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. rock — music
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. swing — in golf
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. swing — to play on
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. last — final
  14. pound — a weight
  15. press — a publisher
  16. kid — to tease
  17. swing — music
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. press — to push
  20. press — newspapers
  21. kid — child
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. last — finally

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