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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. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. press — newspapers
  3. field — farmland
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. stand — to bear
  6. swing — music
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. press — to push
  9. hand — in cards
  10. press — a publisher
  11. rash — a series
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. season — of the year
  15. rash — hasty
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. field — for sport
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. hand — help
  22. swing — to play on
  23. field — a subject
  24. season — in sport

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