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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: pound · press · pitcher · ground · stock · calf · fine · pop

  1. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. press — a publisher
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. ground — a position
  5. press — to push
  6. stock — shares
  7. press — newspapers
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. pound — a weight
  10. pop — to visit
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. pop — soda
  14. fine — all right
  15. ground — crushed
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. stock — goods
  20. fine — high quality
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. pop — music
  24. ground — the earth

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