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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 120 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: nail · squash · bat · capital · deal · staff · press · bowl

  1. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. staff — employees
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. squash — the sport
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. staff — employees
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. staff — a stick
  15. squash — to crush
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. press — newspapers
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. press — to push
  20. press — a publisher
  21. capital — a city
  22. deal — to handle
  23. capital — money
  24. bowl — to roll

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