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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. cell — a phone
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. hand — in cards
  5. snap — to click
  6. swing — to play on
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. cell — in biology
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. press — to push
  14. swing — music
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. swing — in golf
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. press — a publisher
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. press — newspapers
  23. hand — help
  24. bowl — a football final

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