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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.

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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 · squash · press · shower · cap · game · ground · deal

  1. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. cap — of ice
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. ground — a position
  5. cap — a hat
  6. press — a publisher
  7. deal — to handle
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. ground — the earth
  11. game — a match
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. shower — to wash
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. press — newspapers
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. shower — rain
  20. squash — to crush
  21. press — to push
  22. cap — a lid
  23. squash — the sport
  24. ground — crushed

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