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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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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: sharp · file · saw · swing · coach · pit · press · rash

  1. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. swing — in golf
  3. swing — music
  4. swing — to play on
  5. file — a document
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. rash — a series
  8. sharp — clever
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. file — a tool
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. pit — in a race
  15. saw — the tool
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. press — a publisher
  18. pit — a hole
  19. press — newspapers
  20. rash — hasty
  21. press — to push
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. file — a line of people
  24. saw — the tool

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