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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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. sharp — clever
  3. pound — a weight
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. fork — in a road
  13. mine — for digging
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. press — to push
  18. press — newspapers
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. content — happy
  24. content — the amount

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