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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. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. mark — a trace
  3. bank — for money
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. drill — a practice
  6. press — a publisher
  7. mark — a grade
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. pitch — completely
  10. press — to push
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. press — newspapers
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. drill — the tool
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. deal — to handle
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. rash — a series
  19. bank — for money
  20. drill — army training
  21. mine — for digging
  22. rash — hasty
  23. bank — of a river
  24. pitch — a sports field

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