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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. march — the month
  3. firm — a company
  4. deal — to handle
  5. fine — all right
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. press — a publisher
  10. march — the month
  11. firm — decided
  12. press — newspapers
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. fine — high quality
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. press — to push
  17. firm — steady
  18. march — music

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