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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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. pop — music
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. spell — letters
  5. press — newspapers
  6. spell — magic
  7. swing — music
  8. season — in sport
  9. pop — to visit
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. can — a tin
  13. season — of the year
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. pop — soda
  16. press — a publisher
  17. can — a tin
  18. can — to be able to
  19. spell — a short time
  20. press — to push
  21. capital — money
  22. capital — a city
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. swing — in golf

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