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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: press · content · rush · deal · capital · ball · spell · rash

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. spell — a short time
  3. spell — magic
  4. content — the amount
  5. capital — money
  6. deal — to handle
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. press — to push
  9. press — a publisher
  10. content — happy
  11. capital — a city
  12. press — newspapers
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. rash — a series
  16. ball — a great time
  17. ball — a dance
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. spell — letters
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. rush — hurry
  24. deal — a big deal

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