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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 116 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: game · swing · present · press · bark · track

  1. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. track — a path
  3. bark — to shout
  4. track — to keep track
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. present — there
  7. press — to push
  8. swing — to play on
  9. swing — in golf
  10. press — newspapers
  11. present — a gift
  12. present — the time now
  13. game — a match
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. track — a song
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. game — wild animals
  18. press — a publisher

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