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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: swing · key · bay · wind · press · hide

  1. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a part of the sea
  2. key — for a lock
  3. key — the most important part
  4. wind — moving air
  5. press — a publisher
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. press — to push
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. press — newspapers
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. wind — moving air
  12. swing — to play on
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. swing — music
  16. key — in music
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. swing — in golf

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