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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. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. club — for dancing
  3. hand — in cards
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. rash — a series
  9. hand — help
  10. club — for golf
  11. club — a group
  12. press — to push
  13. row — to paddle
  14. press — a publisher
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. rash — hasty
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. deal — to handle
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. row — a line
  24. cabinet — ministers

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