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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 116 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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  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. spell — letters
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. pound — a weight
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. lean — to bend
  6. game — wild animals
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. kid — child
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. kid — to tease
  11. press — newspapers
  12. lean — thin
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. press — to push
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. game — a match
  19. spell — a short time
  20. spell — magic
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. press — a publisher
  23. cabinet — ministers
  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