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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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. ball — a dance
  3. net — in sport
  4. hand — in cards
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. staff — employees
  7. staff — a stick
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. deal — to handle
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. net — after costs
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. press — newspapers
  14. net — for catching
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. hand — help
  18. staff — employees
  19. mine — for digging
  20. press — a publisher
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. press — to push
  24. arm — part of the body

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