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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. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. swing — to play on
  3. cell — a phone
  4. club — for golf
  5. face — part of the head
  6. stand — to bear
  7. swing — in golf
  8. rest — a break
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. press — to push
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. press — a publisher
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. club — a group
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. club — for dancing
  17. face — to confront
  18. scale — size or range
  19. rest — what's left
  20. face — to point toward
  21. cell — in biology
  22. press — newspapers
  23. swing — music
  24. rest — what's left

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