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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · mate · spell · racket · swing · shower · press · mark

  1. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. spell — letters
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. swing — in golf
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. shower — rain
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. mate — a friend
  12. swing — to play on
  13. press — to push
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. mate — a partner
  16. shower — to wash
  17. swing — music
  18. mark — a grade
  19. spell — a short time
  20. spell — magic
  21. mark — a trace
  22. mate — to breed
  23. press — newspapers
  24. press — a publisher

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