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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. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. rest — a break
  3. swing — in golf
  4. press — a publisher
  5. press — to push
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. swing — to play on
  8. band — a music group
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. band — a ring
  11. fork — in a road
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. pass — a permit
  15. rest — what's left
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. bat — the animal
  19. rock — a stone
  20. rest — what's left
  21. press — newspapers
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. rock — music
  24. band — a rubber band

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