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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. pass — a permit
  5. degree — from a university
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. press — to push
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. press — newspapers
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. pound — a weight
  15. degree — an amount
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. degree — temperature
  20. perch — the fish
  21. press — a publisher
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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