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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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. march — the month
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. march — the month
  5. cue — a hint
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. press — newspapers
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. press — to push
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. snap — to click
  14. shower — to wash
  15. cue — a signal
  16. squash — the sport
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. shower — rain
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. pitch — completely
  21. cue — for pool
  22. pound — a weight
  23. squash — to crush
  24. march — music

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