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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 120 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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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: mark · press · bowl · cold · pound · land · mouse · track

  1. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. press — to push
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. land — a country
  8. pound — a weight
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. press — newspapers
  11. track — a song
  12. track — to keep track
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. mark — a trace
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. cold — an illness
  17. cold — not warm
  18. land — ground
  19. press — a publisher
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. land — to come down
  24. track — a path

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