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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: pitcher · bear · press · cap · game · toast · bound · wound

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. toast — bread
  3. bound — tied together
  4. bound — certain
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. wound — an injury
  7. press — a publisher
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. game — a match
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. cap — a lid
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. press — to push
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. press — newspapers
  16. wound — an injury
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. game — wild animals
  20. bear — the animal
  21. cap — a hat
  22. bound — obliged
  23. cap — of ice
  24. bear — the animal

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