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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 116 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: bat · deal · kick · net · press · mate · ground · wave

  1. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. kick — in football
  3. press — newspapers
  4. press — a publisher
  5. mate — a friend
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. ground — crushed
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. bat — the animal
  10. deal — to handle
  11. ground — the earth
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. ground — a position
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. mate — to breed
  17. net — after costs
  18. mate — a partner
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. press — to push
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. net — in sport
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. net — for catching

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