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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. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. charge — a price
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. board — to get on
  5. press — a publisher
  6. board — a committee
  7. net — for catching
  8. pound — a weight
  9. swing — to play on
  10. swing — music
  11. charge — electricity
  12. tear — from crying
  13. hand — in cards
  14. tear — to rip
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. charge — in control
  17. net — in sport
  18. hand — help
  19. press — to push
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. net — after costs
  22. press — newspapers
  23. tear — from crying
  24. swing — in golf

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