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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 116 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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. stock — goods
  4. press — to push
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. pound — a weight
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. court — of a king
  9. press — newspapers
  10. pop — to visit
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. race — the arms race
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. court — for sport
  15. race — a contest
  16. wake — a trail
  17. pop — soda
  18. stock — shares
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. press — a publisher
  21. race — humankind
  22. court — of law
  23. pop — music
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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