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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: press · cue · drill · date · deal · snap · nail · bass

  1. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. drill — the tool
  3. bass — the fish
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. deal — to handle
  6. cue — a hint
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. date — the fruit
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. snap — to click
  12. cue — for pool
  13. drill — a practice
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. press — to push
  17. cue — a signal
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. press — a publisher
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. press — newspapers
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. bass — low music
  24. drill — army training

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