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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: kick · deal · date · press · net · mine · staff · mug

  1. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. staff — employees
  4. kick — in football
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. press — a publisher
  8. mug — to rob
  9. net — after costs
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. mine — for digging
  12. staff — employees
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. mug — a face
  15. press — newspapers
  16. net — for catching
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. staff — a stick
  19. mug — a cup
  20. date — the fruit
  21. press — to push
  22. deal — to handle
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. net — in sport

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