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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. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. press — a publisher
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. pop — soda
  5. press — newspapers
  6. band — a music group
  7. pop — to visit
  8. game — a match
  9. can — a tin
  10. board — a committee
  11. can — a tin
  12. board — to get on
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. band — a ring
  16. game — wild animals
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. press — to push
  19. can — to be able to
  20. swing — to play on
  21. pop — music
  22. swing — music
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. jam — in traffic

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