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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 120 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 function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. row — a line
  3. club — for dancing
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. chip — for betting
  6. club — for golf
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. press — to push
  9. row — to paddle
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. track — a song
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. track — to keep track
  16. press — a publisher
  17. track — a path
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. club — a group
  23. chip — to eat
  24. pound — a weight

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