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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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. track — a song
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. press — newspapers
  7. mine — for digging
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. press — a publisher
  11. swing — music
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. bound — obliged
  14. track — a path
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. bound — tied together
  17. deal — to handle
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. swing — in golf
  20. bound — certain
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. snap — to click
  23. press — to push
  24. track — to keep track

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