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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: net · bound · toast · march · fall · roll · deal · press

  1. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. march — music
  5. press — a publisher
  6. bound — certain
  7. toast — bread
  8. roll — a cake
  9. net — in sport
  10. march — the month
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. fall — to drop
  14. bound — obliged
  15. fall — the season
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. march — the month
  18. bound — tied together
  19. press — newspapers
  20. roll — a list
  21. press — to push
  22. net — for catching
  23. net — after costs
  24. deal — to handle

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