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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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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: press · kid · game · march · mouse · mark

  1. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. march — the month
  3. game — a match
  4. march — music
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. press — newspapers
  7. press — to push
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. kid — to tease
  11. press — a publisher
  12. mark — a trace
  13. kid — child
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. game — wild animals
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. mark — a grade
  18. game — a kind of play

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