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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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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: kid · board · face · stock · bass · press · deal · bay

  1. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. deal — to handle
  3. board — to get on
  4. press — a publisher
  5. press — to push
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. board — a committee
  9. press — newspapers
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. stock — shares
  12. face — to confront
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. face — part of the head
  15. kid — to tease
  16. bass — low music
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. stock — goods
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. kid — child
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. bass — the fish
  24. face — to point toward

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