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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. fall — the season
  3. club — a group
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. season — of the year
  6. press — to push
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. bound — obliged
  10. swing — in golf
  11. press — newspapers
  12. swing — music
  13. club — for golf
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. season — in sport
  16. fall — to drop
  17. fall — to drop
  18. bound — tied together
  19. chip — to eat
  20. swing — to play on
  21. press — a publisher
  22. bound — certain
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. chip — for betting

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