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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. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. deal — to handle
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. press — newspapers
  6. saw — the tool
  7. court — of law
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. press — a publisher
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. degree — from a university
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. degree — temperature
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. press — to push
  19. court — of a king
  20. court — for sport
  21. saw — the tool
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. degree — an amount
  24. temple — side of the head

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