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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. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. drill — the tool
  3. drill — a practice
  4. net — for catching
  5. press — newspapers
  6. swing — music
  7. mug — to rob
  8. drill — army training
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. press — to push
  11. swing — to play on
  12. mug — a face
  13. net — after costs
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. rest — what's left
  16. net — in sport
  17. rest — what's left
  18. wake — a trail
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. rest — a break
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. press — a publisher
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. mug — a cup

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