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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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468
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: press · mine · shower · foot · racket · game · can · bass

  1. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. foot — a measure
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. can — to be able to
  8. game — wild animals
  9. press — a publisher
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. bass — the fish
  12. can — a tin
  13. bass — low music
  14. press — to push
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. mine — for digging
  18. game — a match
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. shower — to wash
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. shower — rain
  23. can — a tin
  24. racket — for tennis

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