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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 116 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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  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. pop — soda
  2. press — to push
  3. pop — music
  4. press — a publisher
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. march — music
  7. can — a tin
  8. track — to keep track
  9. can — a tin
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. press — newspapers
  13. march — the month
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. march — the month
  16. wound — an injury
  17. can — to be able to
  18. wound — an injury
  19. track — a song
  20. track — a path
  21. pop — to visit
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. lash — to lash out
  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