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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: kid · bear · press · net · suit · mate · rest · deal

  1. When will it ________________ you to start?
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — to fit
  2. press — to push
  3. deal — to handle
  4. kid — to tease
  5. mate — a friend
  6. press — a publisher
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. mate — a partner
  9. bear — the animal
  10. rest — what's left
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. kid — child
  13. suit — clothes
  14. rest — what's left
  15. rest — a break
  16. press — newspapers
  17. net — in sport
  18. net — after costs
  19. suit — in cards
  20. net — for catching
  21. mate — to breed
  22. bear — the animal
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. deal — an agreement

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