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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: patient · snap · deal · ball · mark · press · ground · bowl

  1. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. ball — a dance
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. ground — a position
  5. press — a publisher
  6. ground — the earth
  7. ground — crushed
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. ball — a great time
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. snap — to click
  17. mark — a grade
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. press — to push
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. deal — to handle
  22. mark — a trace
  23. press — newspapers
  24. patient — a sick person

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