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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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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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. can — a tin
  3. file — a tool
  4. can — to be able to
  5. deal — to handle
  6. file — a document
  7. swing — to play on
  8. swing — in golf
  9. can — a tin
  10. craft — a skill
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. pound — a weight
  13. press — to push
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. press — newspapers
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. swing — music
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. craft — boats
  21. file — a line of people
  22. wake — a trail
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. press — a publisher

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