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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. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. race — humankind
  5. press — to push
  6. ground — the earth
  7. race — a contest
  8. chest — of your body
  9. chest — a box
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. mark — a trace
  13. race — the arms race
  14. ground — a position
  15. ground — crushed
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. press — a publisher
  18. pound — a weight
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. chest — of your body
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. mark — a grade
  24. press — newspapers

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