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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. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. track — to keep track
  3. season — of the year
  4. wound — an injury
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. swing — to play on
  8. swing — in golf
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. track — a song
  13. season — in sport
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. track — a path
  16. wound — an injury
  17. pit — a hole
  18. press — a publisher
  19. press — to push
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. press — newspapers
  22. plane — a tool
  23. pit — in a race
  24. coach — a trainer

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