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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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. pound — a weight
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. charge — electricity
  5. row — to paddle
  6. last — finally
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. last — final
  9. row — a line
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. bark — to shout
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. charge — a price
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. press — to push
  18. pit — in a race
  19. pit — a hole
  20. press — newspapers
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. charge — in control
  24. press — a publisher

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