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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. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. press — a publisher
  3. club — a group
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. pound — a weight
  6. present — a gift
  7. press — newspapers
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. file — a document
  10. wind — moving air
  11. club — for golf
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. present — the time now
  14. file — a tool
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. kid — child
  18. present — there
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. press — to push
  21. kid — to tease
  22. club — for dancing
  23. file — a line of people
  24. wind — moving air

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