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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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. club — a group
  3. press — newspapers
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. roll — a list
  6. press — to push
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. snap — to click
  9. swing — music
  10. club — for golf
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. tube — a container
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. press — a publisher
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. roll — a cake
  17. tube — the underground
  18. club — for dancing
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. cold — an illness
  22. swing — in golf
  23. swing — to play on
  24. cold — not warm

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