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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. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. face — to confront
  3. face — part of the head
  4. club — a group
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. face — to point toward
  7. club — for dancing
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. club — for golf
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. press — to push
  13. scale — size or range
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. press — a publisher
  18. wax — to grow
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. scale — in music
  22. sharp — clever
  23. press — newspapers
  24. pound — a weight

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