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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: game · cap · lie · deal · pop · straw · rash · press

  1. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. deal — to handle
  3. cap — a lid
  4. game — a match
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. lie — to recline
  7. press — a publisher
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. press — to push
  10. game — wild animals
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. rash — a series
  14. pop — to visit
  15. rash — hasty
  16. pop — soda
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. cap — a hat
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. pop — music
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. cap — of ice

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