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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. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. ball — a dance
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. swing — to play on
  6. press — newspapers
  7. rest — a break
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. press — to push
  10. swing — in golf
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. bound — obliged
  16. rest — what's left
  17. rest — what's left
  18. ball — a great time
  19. bound — tied together
  20. swing — music
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. bound — certain
  24. press — a publisher

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