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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. object — an aim
  4. press — a publisher
  5. squash — to crush
  6. pound — a weight
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. chest — of your body
  9. squash — the sport
  10. lie — to recline
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. chest — of your body
  13. press — to push
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. press — newspapers
  16. chest — a box
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. season — in sport
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. object — to protest
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. season — of the year
  23. object — a thing
  24. rush — to hurry

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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