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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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. stand — to bear
  5. current — happening now
  6. ground — crushed
  7. press — to push
  8. fork — in a road
  9. ground — a position
  10. press — a publisher
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. chest — a box
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. press — newspapers
  15. current — electric
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. current — of water
  18. chest — of your body
  19. ground — the earth
  20. chest — of your body
  21. game — a match
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. pound — a weight

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