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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. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. press — a publisher
  3. rest — what's left
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. swing — to play on
  6. game — a match
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. can — a tin
  9. track — to keep track
  10. press — newspapers
  11. track — a song
  12. can — to be able to
  13. rest — what's left
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. press — to push
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. track — a path
  18. swing — music
  19. foot — a measure
  20. game — wild animals
  21. can — a tin
  22. lean — thin
  23. lean — to bend
  24. swing — in golf

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