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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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. file — a document
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. net — after costs
  5. press — a publisher
  6. swing — to play on
  7. ball — a great time
  8. swing — in golf
  9. fine — high quality
  10. ball — a dance
  11. swing — music
  12. file — a line of people
  13. net — for catching
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. net — in sport
  16. press — newspapers
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. press — to push
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. file — a tool
  21. bat — the animal
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. fine — all right
  24. bat — for baseball

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