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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: straw · mouse · bat · mine · press · object · club · pound

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. pound — a weight
  3. club — a group
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. bat — the animal
  6. object — to protest
  7. club — for dancing
  8. object — an aim
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. press — to push
  16. mine — for digging
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. object — a thing
  19. press — newspapers
  20. club — for golf
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. straw — dry grass

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