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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. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. clip — for paper
  4. press — to push
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. content — the amount
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. pound — a weight
  11. content — happy
  12. press — a publisher
  13. net — in sport
  14. clip — a video
  15. press — newspapers
  16. net — after costs
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. vault — a safe
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. net — for catching
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. sharp — clever
  24. clip — to cut

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