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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 · content · lash · march · court

  1. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  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 — in golf
  2. court — for sport
  3. press — to push
  4. swing — music
  5. press — newspapers
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. march — the month
  8. court — of a king
  9. march — music
  10. court — of law
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. swing — to play on
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. content — happy
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. content — the amount
  17. march — the month
  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