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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 116 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 had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. press — a publisher
  4. press — newspapers
  5. kid — child
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. swing — music
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. bat — the animal
  10. press — to push
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. row — a line
  15. pitch — completely
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. row — to paddle
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. swing — to play on
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. kid — to tease

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