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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. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. press — newspapers
  3. swing — to play on
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. can — a tin
  6. can — a tin
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. swing — music
  9. press — a publisher
  10. can — to be able to
  11. chip — to eat
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. cold — an illness
  17. press — to push
  18. cold — not warm
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. chip — for betting
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. toast — bread

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