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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: pound · mouse · race · present · press · rule · tear · squash

  1. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. tear — from crying
  3. present — the time now
  4. press — a publisher
  5. race — the arms race
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. press — to push
  10. present — a gift
  11. present — there
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. tear — to rip
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. race — a contest
  16. rule — government
  17. rule — a law
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. squash — the sport
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. squash — to crush
  22. race — humankind
  23. tear — from crying
  24. press — newspapers

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