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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. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. current — electric
  4. club — a group
  5. pound — a weight
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. current — happening now
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. press — a publisher
  15. chair — a leader
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. press — newspapers
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. club — for golf
  20. club — for dancing
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. wound — an injury
  23. wound — an injury
  24. current — of water

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