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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. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. degree — temperature
  5. court — of a king
  6. press — a publisher
  7. hand — help
  8. court — for sport
  9. hand — in cards
  10. branch — a division
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. pound — a weight
  14. press — to push
  15. degree — an amount
  16. rush — hurry
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. pit — a hole
  19. court — of law
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. pit — in a race
  23. degree — from a university
  24. press — newspapers

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