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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. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. fine — all right
  3. press — to push
  4. can — to be able to
  5. spell — magic
  6. press — newspapers
  7. can — a tin
  8. spell — letters
  9. spell — a short time
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. pound — a weight
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. game — wild animals
  15. row — to paddle
  16. game — a match
  17. can — a tin
  18. press — a publisher
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. fine — high quality
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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