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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: lie · press · drill · hand · pound · pitcher · rash · race

  1. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. race — humankind
  3. hand — in cards
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. hand — help
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. drill — army training
  8. press — newspapers
  9. rash — a series
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. race — the arms race
  12. press — to push
  13. rash — hasty
  14. press — a publisher
  15. drill — a practice
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. race — a contest
  18. drill — the tool
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. pound — a weight
  23. lie — to recline
  24. pound — to hit hard

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