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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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. ball — a dance
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. bear — the animal
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. press — to push
  8. ball — a great time
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. bear — the animal
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. press — newspapers
  15. pound — a weight
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. kick — in football
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. wake — a trail
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. nail — for a hammer

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