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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. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. swing — in golf
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. last — to go on
  5. swing — to play on
  6. press — to push
  7. last — final
  8. pitch — completely
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. last — finally
  11. net — in sport
  12. board — a committee
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. net — for catching
  15. net — after costs
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. prune — to trim
  18. press — newspapers
  19. wax — to grow
  20. press — a publisher
  21. prune — to trim
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. board — to get on
  24. wax — for sculpting

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