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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: lie · pop · mug · straw · row · land · pass · press

  1. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. pop — music
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. mug — a cup
  6. mug — a face
  7. mug — to rob
  8. row — a line
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. land — ground
  11. pop — to visit
  12. row — to paddle
  13. press — to push
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. pass — a permit
  16. pop — soda
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. lie — to recline
  20. land — to come down
  21. press — a publisher
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. press — newspapers
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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