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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. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. swing — in golf
  4. press — a publisher
  5. cap — of ice
  6. snap — to click
  7. bound — obliged
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. scale — in music
  11. mug — a cup
  12. swing — to play on
  13. press — to push
  14. bound — certain
  15. cap — a hat
  16. bound — tied together
  17. mug — to rob
  18. cap — a lid
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. press — newspapers
  21. swing — music
  22. mug — a face
  23. scale — size or range
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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