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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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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: land · fan · press · pass · net · squash · bound · kid

  1. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. bound — obliged
  3. net — for catching
  4. net — after costs
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. land — ground
  7. kid — child
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. bound — certain
  10. land — a country
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. press — to push
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. pass — a permit
  15. land — to come down
  16. press — newspapers
  17. squash — the sport
  18. bound — tied together
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. squash — to crush
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. press — a publisher
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. net — in sport

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