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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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. press — to push
  3. wind — moving air
  4. swing — in golf
  5. swing — to play on
  6. swing — music
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. wind — moving air
  9. ground — the earth
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. press — a publisher
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. cue — for pool
  15. game — a match
  16. game — wild animals
  17. ground — crushed
  18. cue — a signal
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. kick — in football
  21. press — newspapers
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. cue — a hint

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