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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · swing · deal · bass · file · press · roll · land

  1. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. roll — a list
  3. bass — the fish
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. swing — to play on
  6. swing — music
  7. mate — a partner
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. swing — in golf
  10. bass — low music
  11. mate — a friend
  12. press — newspapers
  13. press — to push
  14. file — a document
  15. deal — to handle
  16. file — a tool
  17. land — ground
  18. roll — a cake
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. press — a publisher
  22. land — to come down
  23. file — a line of people
  24. land — a country

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