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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. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. bulb — for light
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. roll — a list
  5. press — a publisher
  6. pop — soda
  7. roll — a cake
  8. pound — a weight
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. kid — child
  11. degree — an amount
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. sharp — clever
  14. degree — temperature
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. pop — to visit
  17. press — newspapers
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. pop — music
  20. press — to push
  21. bulb — for light
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. degree — from a university
  24. kid — to tease

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