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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: pound · rest · drill · mouse · press · deal

  1. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. drill — army training
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. press — to push
  6. deal — to handle
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. rest — what's left
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. press — a publisher
  11. drill — the tool
  12. rest — a break
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. pound — a weight
  15. rest — what's left
  16. press — newspapers
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. drill — a practice

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