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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: pound · object · stick · press · bass · cap · net · drill

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. cap — a lid
  3. bass — the fish
  4. press — newspapers
  5. pound — a weight
  6. cap — of ice
  7. net — after costs
  8. drill — the tool
  9. press — a publisher
  10. object — to protest
  11. drill — a practice
  12. press — to push
  13. drill — army training
  14. bass — low music
  15. object — a thing
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. net — for catching
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. net — in sport
  24. object — an aim

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