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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. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. stock — shares
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. kid — to tease
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. kid — child
  12. rule — government
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. press — to push
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. rule — a law
  21. press — newspapers
  22. stock — goods
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. press — a publisher

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