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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 · staff · deal · content · jam · bulb · court · band

  1. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. staff — employees
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. bulb — for light
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. press — newspapers
  9. band — a ring
  10. bulb — for light
  11. content — the amount
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. press — a publisher
  14. court — of a king
  15. staff — a stick
  16. content — happy
  17. band — a music group
  18. court — of law
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. court — for sport
  21. deal — to handle
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. staff — employees
  24. press — to push

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