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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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. pound — a weight
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. chest — of your body
  9. chip — for betting
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. press — newspapers
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. chest — of your body
  17. press — a publisher
  18. press — to push
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. scale — in music
  21. chest — a box
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. chip — to eat
  24. scale — size or range

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