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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: rash · pop · deal · mate · mine · track · press · season

  1. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. pop — soda
  4. pop — music
  5. press — newspapers
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. press — to push
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. mate — to breed
  10. pop — to visit
  11. track — a song
  12. track — a path
  13. rash — hasty
  14. mine — for digging
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. deal — to handle
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. press — a publisher
  19. season — in sport
  20. season — of the year
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. track — to keep track
  23. rash — a series
  24. mate — a friend

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