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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 120 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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  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. pound — to hit hard
  2. foot — a measure
  3. press — newspapers
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. season — of the year
  6. tear — to rip
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. tear — from crying
  9. can — to be able to
  10. rash — a series
  11. field — a subject
  12. rash — hasty
  13. press — to push
  14. can — a tin
  15. field — for sport
  16. tear — from crying
  17. can — a tin
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. field — farmland
  20. press — a publisher
  21. season — in sport
  22. pound — a weight
  23. foot — the bottom
  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