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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: last · press · drill · leaves · bear · rash · game · foot

  1. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. bear — the animal
  3. press — to push
  4. drill — a practice
  5. rash — a series
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. rash — hasty
  8. last — to go on
  9. game — a match
  10. foot — a measure
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. press — a publisher
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. press — newspapers
  15. game — wild animals
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. last — finally
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. drill — army training
  20. last — final
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. drill — the tool
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. leaves — to go away

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