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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. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. tear — from crying
  5. bass — the fish
  6. spell — a short time
  7. bass — low music
  8. rule — government
  9. tear — to rip
  10. spell — letters
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. press — newspapers
  13. tear — from crying
  14. press — a publisher
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. bear — the animal
  18. rule — a law
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. press — to push
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. bear — the animal
  23. pound — a weight
  24. spell — magic

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