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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. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. rule — government
  3. press — to push
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. hand — in cards
  6. tube — the underground
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. tube — a container
  10. spring — a coil
  11. rule — a law
  12. hand — help
  13. can — a tin
  14. press — a publisher
  15. can — a tin
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. spring — of water
  18. vault — a safe
  19. press — newspapers
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. spring — the season
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. can — to be able to

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