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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. David sat on the ________________.
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. suit — to fit
  3. swing — music
  4. press — a publisher
  5. drill — the tool
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. drill — army training
  8. kid — child
  9. race — the arms race
  10. suit — clothes
  11. kid — to tease
  12. press — newspapers
  13. suit — in cards
  14. swing — in golf
  15. press — to push
  16. race — a contest
  17. drill — a practice
  18. race — humankind

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