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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 116 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. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. rash — a series
  4. bound — tied together
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. bound — obliged
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. press — a publisher
  9. rock — a stone
  10. game — a match
  11. bat — the animal
  12. bound — certain
  13. press — to push
  14. squash — the sport
  15. press — newspapers
  16. game — wild animals
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. rock — music
  21. rash — hasty
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. deal — to handle
  24. squash — to crush

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