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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. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  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. lean — to rest against
  2. lean — thin
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. pound — a weight
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. press — to push
  7. fork — in a road
  8. degree — temperature
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. bore — to tire
  11. bore — to drill
  12. press — newspapers
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. squash — the sport
  15. bat — the animal
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. degree — an amount
  20. degree — from a university
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. squash — to crush
  23. lean — to bend
  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