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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
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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: press · pop · wind · game · straw · drill · lie · rush

  1. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. wind — moving air
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. press — newspapers
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. game — a match
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. press — a publisher
  10. drill — the tool
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. drill — army training
  13. press — to push
  14. pop — music
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. game — wild animals
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. pop — to visit
  19. rush — hurry
  20. wind — moving air
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. lie — to recline
  24. drill — a practice

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