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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 120 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: deal · hand · press · stock · pitcher · scale · degree · squash

  1. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. hand — help
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. stock — shares
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. stock — goods
  10. scale — size or range
  11. degree — an amount
  12. press — to push
  13. scale — in music
  14. degree — temperature
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. press — a publisher
  17. deal — to handle
  18. degree — from a university
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. squash — to crush
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. squash — the sport
  23. press — newspapers
  24. hand — in cards

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