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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. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. swing — music
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. root — of a plant
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. ground — crushed
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. root — the cause
  12. press — to push
  13. press — a publisher
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. press — newspapers
  16. file — a tool
  17. file — a line of people
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. file — a document
  20. ground — a position
  21. root — of a word
  22. ground — the earth
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. swing — to play on

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