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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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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: bear · game · saw · straw · race · press

  1. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. race — a contest
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. bear — the animal
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. race — the arms race
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. game — wild animals
  9. saw — the tool
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. saw — the tool
  12. press — a publisher
  13. press — newspapers
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. game — a match
  17. race — humankind
  18. press — to push

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