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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. last — finally
  3. swing — in golf
  4. swing — to play on
  5. bound — certain
  6. press — newspapers
  7. game — a match
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. last — final
  11. game — wild animals
  12. deal — to handle
  13. bound — obliged
  14. press — to push
  15. bass — low music
  16. last — to go on
  17. sharp — clever
  18. press — a publisher
  19. bass — the fish
  20. bound — tied together
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. swing — 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