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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: roll · object · kid · press · ball · tear · rock · foot

  1. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. kid — to tease
  3. tear — from crying
  4. ball — a great time
  5. foot — a measure
  6. press — newspapers
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. kid — child
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. object — to protest
  12. tear — to rip
  13. object — a thing
  14. object — an aim
  15. press — a publisher
  16. ball — a dance
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. tear — from crying
  20. roll — a cake
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. rock — a stone
  23. rock — music
  24. 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