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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 116 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: pound · press · cold · net · ground · ruler · bowl · track

  1. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. press — newspapers
  4. net — after costs
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. ground — a position
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. press — to push
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. ground — the earth
  13. pound — a weight
  14. press — a publisher
  15. cold — not warm
  16. cold — an illness
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. track — a song
  19. ground — crushed
  20. net — in sport
  21. net — for catching
  22. track — to keep track
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. track — a path

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