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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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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: ball · shower · squash · press · present · chair · pass · deal

  1. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. squash — to crush
  3. pass — a permit
  4. press — to push
  5. squash — the sport
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. shower — to wash
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. chair — a leader
  11. ball — a dance
  12. present — there
  13. press — a publisher
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. deal — to handle
  16. shower — rain
  17. press — newspapers
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. ball — a great time
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. present — the time now
  22. present — a gift
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. chair — a professorship

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