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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: fall · deal · press · toast · racket · mine

  1. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. fall — to drop
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. fall — the season
  6. toast — bread
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. mine — for digging
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. press — a publisher
  14. press — newspapers
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. deal — to handle
  17. fall — to drop
  18. mine — an explosive

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