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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: bass · lie · press · deal · hand · cold · cabinet · bat

  1. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. cold — an illness
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. bat — the animal
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. press — to push
  11. press — a publisher
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. bass — low music
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. lie — to recline
  17. hand — help
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. hand — in cards
  20. press — newspapers
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. bass — the fish
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. cold — not warm

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