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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: present · club · deal · rush · face · mine · press · object

  1. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. face — to confront
  4. rush — hurry
  5. press — to push
  6. deal — to handle
  7. club — a group
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. object — a thing
  10. face — part of the head
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. club — for golf
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. present — the time now
  16. mine — for digging
  17. press — a publisher
  18. face — to point toward
  19. object — an aim
  20. object — to protest
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. press — newspapers
  23. present — a gift
  24. present — there

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