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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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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: march · safe · deal · press · mate · bat · club · band

  1. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. band — a ring
  4. march — the month
  5. bat — the animal
  6. march — music
  7. club — a group
  8. mate — a friend
  9. march — the month
  10. club — for golf
  11. mate — to breed
  12. press — to push
  13. press — newspapers
  14. band — a music group
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. press — a publisher
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. club — for dancing
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. mate — a partner
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. bat — in an idiom

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