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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: mate · deal · ball · object · land · file · net · press

  1. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. ball — a great time
  3. land — ground
  4. mate — to breed
  5. object — an aim
  6. press — to push
  7. press — a publisher
  8. mate — a partner
  9. net — for catching
  10. file — a tool
  11. deal — to handle
  12. net — after costs
  13. net — in sport
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. object — to protest
  16. file — a document
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. file — a line of people
  19. mate — a friend
  20. press — newspapers
  21. land — to come down
  22. ball — a dance
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. object — a thing

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