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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. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. press — newspapers
  5. field — farmland
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. ball — a great time
  8. deal — to handle
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. field — for sport
  14. field — a subject
  15. mark — a grade
  16. capital — money
  17. wind — moving air
  18. press — to push
  19. press — a publisher
  20. mark — a trace
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. ball — a dance
  23. wind — moving air
  24. capital — a city

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