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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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. press — to push
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. wind — moving air
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. press — a publisher
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. deal — to handle
  10. wind — moving air
  11. fine — all right
  12. stand — to bear
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. press — newspapers
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. drill — army training
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. drill — a practice
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. pitch — completely
  22. drill — the tool
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. fine — high quality

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