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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. David sat on the ________________.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. swing — to play on
  3. press — a publisher
  4. fork — in a road
  5. bulb — for light
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. field — for sport
  8. field — farmland
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. sharp — clever
  12. field — a subject
  13. pound — a weight
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. press — to push
  16. can — a tin
  17. swing — music
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. press — newspapers
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. can — to be able to
  22. swing — in golf
  23. bulb — for light
  24. can — a tin

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