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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  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. sharp — clever
  2. mate — a friend
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. mate — to breed
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. land — a country
  7. pound — a weight
  8. mate — a partner
  9. land — ground
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. land — to come down
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. press — newspapers
  16. press — to push
  17. scale — in music
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. scale — size or range
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. sharp — with an edge
  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