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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: rash · bowl · bay · deal · chest · press

  1. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. press — to push
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. deal — to handle
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. press — a publisher
  9. rash — a series
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. chest — a box
  12. rash — hasty
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. chest — of your body
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. press — newspapers
  17. chest — of your body
  18. bay — a horse colour

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