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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. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. vault — a safe
  3. press — to push
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. press — newspapers
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. pop — to visit
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. pound — a weight
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. pop — music
  14. wind — moving air
  15. fork — in a road
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. press — a publisher
  18. snap — to click
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. wind — moving air
  22. pop — soda
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. pound — for dogs

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