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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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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: kid · lean · bat · press · deal · bear · squash · mark

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. bear — the animal
  4. press — newspapers
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. deal — to handle
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. squash — to crush
  10. bat — the animal
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. bear — the animal
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. squash — the sport
  16. mark — a trace
  17. press — a publisher
  18. kid — child
  19. mark — a grade
  20. press — to push
  21. lean — thin
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. kid — to tease

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