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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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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. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. spring — the season
  3. chip — for betting
  4. swing — to play on
  5. current — of water
  6. band — a music group
  7. fall — to drop
  8. current — happening now
  9. press — to push
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. fall — the season
  12. current — electric
  13. band — a ring
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. chip — to eat
  17. lie — to recline
  18. swing — music
  19. spring — a coil
  20. fall — to drop
  21. press — a publisher
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. spring — of water
  24. press — newspapers

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