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

Word bank: stick · press · lie · chip · pound · craft · march · rock

  1. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  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. pound — to hit hard
  2. march — music
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. march — the month
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. craft — a skill
  9. rock — music
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. chip — to eat
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. press — to push
  15. craft — boats
  16. press — a publisher
  17. chip — for betting
  18. march — the month
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. lie — to recline
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. press — newspapers
  23. rock — a stone
  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