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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. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. pit — a hole
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. march — music
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. pitch — completely
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. degree — an amount
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. press — to push
  12. march — the month
  13. degree — from a university
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. march — the month
  18. degree — temperature
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. pit — in a race
  21. dip — to sink
  22. press — a publisher
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. press — newspapers

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