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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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. squash — the sport
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. band — a ring
  8. squash — to crush
  9. press — to push
  10. deal — to handle
  11. swing — to play on
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. pit — in a race
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. band — a music group
  17. pit — a hole
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. press — newspapers
  20. swing — music
  21. stand — to bear
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. swing — in golf
  24. stand — for spectators

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