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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: bear · saw · game · track · kick · wake · ground · press

  1. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. game — wild animals
  3. bear — the animal
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. press — to push
  6. wake — a trail
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. press — a publisher
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. game — a match
  14. ground — the earth
  15. press — newspapers
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. bear — the animal
  18. track — a path
  19. track — a song
  20. kick — in football
  21. ground — a position
  22. saw — the tool
  23. ground — crushed
  24. saw — the tool

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