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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 116 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: wake · ruler · press · march · cold · cabinet · pound · racket

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. cold — not warm
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. march — the month
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. wake — a trail
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. march — the month
  11. pound — a weight
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. press — to push
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. march — music
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. press — newspapers
  21. cold — an illness
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. ruler — for measuring

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