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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. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. dip — to sink
  3. press — a publisher
  4. press — to push
  5. cap — of ice
  6. swing — to play on
  7. tube — the underground
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. swing — music
  11. tube — a container
  12. press — newspapers
  13. cap — a hat
  14. chair — a leader
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. hand — help
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. cap — a lid
  20. hand — in cards
  21. wake — a trail
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. wake — before a funeral

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