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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. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. deal — to handle
  3. pop — soda
  4. pop — to visit
  5. march — music
  6. swing — to play on
  7. net — in sport
  8. pop — music
  9. press — a publisher
  10. swing — in golf
  11. ball — a dance
  12. press — newspapers
  13. press — to push
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. swing — music
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. net — for catching
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. pitch — completely
  22. march — the month
  23. net — after costs
  24. march — the month

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