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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.

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: court · bulb · squash · press · hide · lie · degree · deal

  1. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. squash — the sport
  4. degree — from a university
  5. degree — an amount
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. bulb — for light
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. court — of a king
  10. press — newspapers
  11. bulb — for light
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. court — of law
  15. deal — to handle
  16. court — for sport
  17. lie — to recline
  18. degree — temperature
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. squash — to crush
  21. press — a publisher
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. lie — an untruth

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