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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. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. cold — an illness
  3. tube — a container
  4. tube — the underground
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. track — a song
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. swing — to play on
  9. swing — music
  10. press — newspapers
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. press — to push
  14. wake — a trail
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. cold — not warm
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. kid — to tease
  19. dip — to sink
  20. track — a path
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. press — a publisher
  23. kid — child
  24. track — to keep track

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