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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. swing — in golf
  3. rest — what's left
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. press — to push
  8. press — a publisher
  9. lie — to recline
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. prune — to trim
  12. prune — to trim
  13. rest — a break
  14. game — wild animals
  15. game — a match
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. swing — to play on
  18. press — newspapers
  19. swing — music
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. rest — what's left
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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