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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 · press · cold · foot · court · mark · wake

  1. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. deal — to handle
  3. press — newspapers
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. court — of law
  8. cold — not warm
  9. court — for sport
  10. press — a publisher
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. mate — to breed
  15. mark — a trace
  16. court — of a king
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. mate — a friend
  19. mark — a grade
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. press — to push
  22. wake — a trail
  23. foot — a measure
  24. cold — an illness

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