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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. squash — to crush
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. net — after costs
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. press — a publisher
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. face — to point toward
  10. row — a line
  11. face — to confront
  12. net — in sport
  13. net — for catching
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. press — newspapers
  16. row — to paddle
  17. press — to push
  18. saw — the tool
  19. squash — the sport
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. face — part of the head
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. saw — the tool

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