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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: pound · season · ball · press · kid · stock · plane · mug

  1. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. kid — to tease
  3. mug — a face
  4. season — in sport
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. ball — a great time
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. mug — to rob
  9. ball — a dance
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. stock — goods
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. season — of the year
  14. press — newspapers
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. plane — a tool
  20. pound — a weight
  21. mug — a cup
  22. press — a publisher
  23. press — to push
  24. kid — child

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