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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. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. land — a country
  3. tear — from crying
  4. tear — from crying
  5. land — to come down
  6. club — for dancing
  7. can — to be able to
  8. club — for golf
  9. press — to push
  10. tear — to rip
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. can — a tin
  13. land — ground
  14. kick — in football
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. can — a tin
  17. club — a group
  18. rush — hurry
  19. pound — a weight
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. press — a publisher
  24. pound — for dogs

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