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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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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: bowl · straw · game · last · pound · cap · bear · press

  1. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. pound — a weight
  3. bear — the animal
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. press — a publisher
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. last — final
  9. cap — a lid
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. cap — a hat
  14. press — newspapers
  15. game — a match
  16. last — finally
  17. bear — the animal
  18. game — wild animals
  19. last — to go on
  20. cap — of ice
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. bowl — to roll

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