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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. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. press — newspapers
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. roll — a list
  6. roll — a cake
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. deal — to handle
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. march — music
  11. march — the month
  12. wound — an injury
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. fork — in a road
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. stock — goods
  17. press — to push
  18. press — a publisher
  19. wound — an injury
  20. march — the month
  21. stock — shares
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. deal — an agreement

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