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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: mate · drill · bear · swing · court · press

  1. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. swing — in golf
  3. drill — army training
  4. mate — a friend
  5. press — a publisher
  6. swing — music
  7. court — of law
  8. bear — the animal
  9. swing — to play on
  10. drill — a practice
  11. bear — the animal
  12. court — for sport
  13. mate — to breed
  14. press — to push
  15. court — of a king
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. press — newspapers
  18. mate — a partner

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