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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. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. land — ground
  3. kick — in football
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. shower — to wash
  6. land — a country
  7. clip — for paper
  8. press — to push
  9. shower — rain
  10. firm — decided
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. firm — a company
  13. press — a publisher
  14. land — to come down
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. clip — a video
  17. firm — steady
  18. press — newspapers
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. pound — a weight
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. clip — to cut
  24. mouse — the animal

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