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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. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. kid — child
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. key — for a lock
  6. press — a publisher
  7. swing — music
  8. kid — to tease
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. pit — a hole
  11. press — newspapers
  12. press — to push
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. key — in music
  16. rest — what's left
  17. rest — a break
  18. key — the most important part
  19. swing — to play on
  20. rest — what's left
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. lean — thin
  23. pit — in a race
  24. lean — to bend

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