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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: bat · deal · face · nail · can · press · rash · track

  1. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. bat — the animal
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. rash — a series
  7. press — to push
  8. track — a song
  9. can — a tin
  10. can — to be able to
  11. deal — to handle
  12. can — a tin
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. press — a publisher
  15. face — part of the head
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. track — a path
  18. track — to keep track
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. press — newspapers
  22. face — to point toward
  23. face — to confront
  24. rash — hasty

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