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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. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. bound — certain
  3. press — to push
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. rush — hurry
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. press — newspapers
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. rock — music
  10. pound — a weight
  11. field — a subject
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. press — a publisher
  14. chair — a leader
  15. tear — from crying
  16. bound — obliged
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. field — farmland
  19. bound — tied together
  20. field — for sport
  21. tear — from crying
  22. tear — to rip
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. pound — to hit hard

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