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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: drill · hand · ground · row · roll · track · pass · press

  1. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. pass — to spend time
  3. row — to paddle
  4. roll — a cake
  5. press — newspapers
  6. track — a song
  7. drill — a practice
  8. drill — the tool
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. hand — in cards
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. roll — a list
  14. ground — crushed
  15. track — a path
  16. press — a publisher
  17. ground — a position
  18. pass — a permit
  19. track — to keep track
  20. row — a line
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. hand — help
  23. drill — army training
  24. ground — the earth

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