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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 120 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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Word bank
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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: perch · cue · race · sharp · press · swing · wound · key

  1. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. race — a contest
  3. race — humankind
  4. wound — an injury
  5. key — for a lock
  6. race — the arms race
  7. wound — an injury
  8. press — a publisher
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. cue — a signal
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. perch — the fish
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. cue — for pool
  15. key — the most important part
  16. sharp — clever
  17. key — in music
  18. press — to push
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. press — newspapers
  22. swing — in golf
  23. swing — to play on
  24. cue — a hint

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