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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. object — to protest
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. mate — a friend
  5. pound — a weight
  6. object — an aim
  7. march — music
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. press — to push
  10. object — a thing
  11. march — the month
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. press — a publisher
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. mate — a partner
  16. press — newspapers
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. mate — to breed
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. rash — a series
  21. march — the month
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. chair — a leader
  24. chair — a professorship

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