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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 116 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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. cap — a lid
  4. lean — to bend
  5. club — a group
  6. swing — to play on
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. lean — thin
  9. press — to push
  10. shower — rain
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. press — newspapers
  13. club — for golf
  14. mark — a grade
  15. club — for dancing
  16. craft — boats
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. shower — to wash
  19. press — a publisher
  20. mark — a trace
  21. cap — a hat
  22. swing — music
  23. craft — a skill
  24. cap — of ice

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