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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: court · foot · press · bark · squash · temple · deal · pitch

  1. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. deal — to handle
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. foot — a measure
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. press — a publisher
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. court — for sport
  13. press — to push
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. pitch — completely
  16. bark — to shout
  17. court — of law
  18. press — newspapers
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. squash — the sport
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. court — of a king
  24. squash — to crush

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