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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. lie — to recline
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. wake — a trail
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. drill — army training
  10. press — to push
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. press — newspapers
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. press — a publisher
  15. pound — a weight
  16. game — a match
  17. game — wild animals
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. pop — music
  21. drill — the tool
  22. drill — a practice
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. pop — to visit

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