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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. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. current — electric
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. wind — moving air
  6. press — a publisher
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. board — to get on
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. press — newspapers
  13. current — of water
  14. board — a committee
  15. wind — moving air
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. current — happening now
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. sharp — clever
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. press — to push
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. sharp — with an edge

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