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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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. press — to push
  3. hand — in cards
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. march — music
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. press — newspapers
  9. ball — a great time
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. rash — a series
  12. press — a publisher
  13. march — the month
  14. foot — a measure
  15. rash — hasty
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. ball — a dance
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. hand — help
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. deal — to handle
  24. deal — a big deal

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