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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: content · cap · shower · press · pound · pitcher · fan · track

  1. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. content — happy
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. track — a path
  6. press — a publisher
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. pound — a weight
  10. press — to push
  11. shower — to wash
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. press — newspapers
  14. cap — a hat
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. cap — a lid
  17. shower — rain
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. cap — of ice
  21. track — to keep track
  22. content — the amount
  23. track — a song
  24. pitcher — a jug

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