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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. David sat on the ________________.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. swing — to play on
  3. mate — to breed
  4. swing — music
  5. suit — in cards
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. press — newspapers
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. suit — clothes
  10. march — the month
  11. spring — the season
  12. press — a publisher
  13. suit — to fit
  14. spring — of water
  15. mate — a partner
  16. march — music
  17. wound — an injury
  18. press — to push
  19. march — the month
  20. spring — a coil
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. wound — an injury
  23. sharp — clever
  24. mate — a friend

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