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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: bat · press · kick · swing · key · wind

  1. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. key — in music
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. bat — the animal
  6. press — a publisher
  7. swing — in golf
  8. key — for a lock
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. press — newspapers
  11. swing — to play on
  12. wind — moving air
  13. press — to push
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. wind — moving air
  16. key — the most important part
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. kick — in football

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