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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: mouse · cell · press · game · mark · spring · board · pitcher

  1. He is an ace ________________.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. board — to get on
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. game — wild animals
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. press — to push
  8. spring — a coil
  9. board — a committee
  10. press — a publisher
  11. press — newspapers
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. spring — of water
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. mark — a trace
  16. mark — a grade
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. cell — a phone
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. spring — the season
  21. cell — in biology
  22. game — a match
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. mark — to pay attention

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