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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 120 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: current · deal · face · spell · ball · press · chair · straw

  1. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  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. straw — dry grass
  3. face — to point toward
  4. chair — a leader
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. spell — magic
  7. ball — a great time
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. current — electric
  11. face — part of the head
  12. spell — a short time
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. current — happening now
  17. spell — letters
  18. press — newspapers
  19. current — of water
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. press — to push
  22. ball — a dance
  23. face — to confront
  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