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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. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. swing — music
  3. field — a subject
  4. press — newspapers
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. press — to push
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. press — a publisher
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. game — wild animals
  13. swing — to play on
  14. field — for sport
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. field — farmland
  17. rush — hurry
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. game — a match
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. rush — to hurry

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