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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: fall · press · snap · mug · rush · row · pop · bowl

  1. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. press — newspapers
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. snap — to click
  6. press — to push
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. mug — a cup
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. fall — the season
  11. rush — hurry
  12. press — a publisher
  13. row — to paddle
  14. pop — music
  15. row — a line
  16. pop — soda
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. pop — to visit
  19. fall — to drop
  20. fall — to drop
  21. mug — a face
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. mug — to rob

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