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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 120 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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. swing — in golf
  3. press — to push
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. swing — to play on
  6. swing — music
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. press — newspapers
  9. game — a match
  10. pop — music
  11. press — a publisher
  12. pop — to visit
  13. rock — music
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. pop — soda
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. rock — a stone
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. ground — the earth
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. ground — a position
  22. game — wild animals
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. ground — crushed

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