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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. pound — a weight
  3. roll — a cake
  4. kid — to tease
  5. kick — in football
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. kid — child
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. roll — a list
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. club — for golf
  12. press — a publisher
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. press — to push
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. press — newspapers
  21. club — a group
  22. mate — a friend
  23. mate — to breed
  24. club — for dancing

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