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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. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. track — a path
  5. track — a song
  6. rush — hurry
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. press — a publisher
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. press — to push
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. track — to keep track
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. press — newspapers
  18. wind — moving air
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. tear — from crying
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. tear — to rip
  23. tear — from crying
  24. wind — moving air

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