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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 120 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. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. press — to push
  4. bass — low music
  5. deal — to handle
  6. press — newspapers
  7. ball — a great time
  8. present — the time now
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. bass — the fish
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. present — a gift
  14. field — a subject
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. field — farmland
  17. snap — to click
  18. field — for sport
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. present — there
  23. press — a publisher
  24. stem — to come from

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