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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: tear · roll · game · saw · hand · press · mug · toast

  1. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. press — newspapers
  3. game — a match
  4. roll — a cake
  5. hand — in cards
  6. tear — to rip
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. mug — a cup
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. tear — from crying
  11. mug — a face
  12. press — to push
  13. hand — help
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. tear — from crying
  16. saw — the tool
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. game — wild animals
  19. saw — the tool
  20. mug — to rob
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. roll — a list
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. press — a publisher

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