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

Word bank: press · swing · race · game · snap · cabinet

  1. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. swing — in golf
  3. press — a publisher
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. snap — to click
  7. race — humankind
  8. press — to push
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. game — a match
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. swing — music
  14. press — newspapers
  15. race — a contest
  16. swing — to play on
  17. game — wild animals
  18. race — the arms race

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