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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: press · board · bass · race · scale · land · swing · lie

  1. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. bass — the fish
  3. race — the arms race
  4. scale — size or range
  5. land — a country
  6. land — to come down
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. board — to get on
  9. swing — in golf
  10. land — ground
  11. press — newspapers
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. race — humankind
  14. scale — in music
  15. press — a publisher
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. lie — to recline
  19. board — a committee
  20. swing — to play on
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. bass — low music
  23. swing — music
  24. race — a contest

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