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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: board · wind · game · squash · swing · press · stick · bat

  1. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. board — to get on
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. game — wild animals
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. press — newspapers
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. game — a match
  12. swing — in golf
  13. swing — to play on
  14. swing — music
  15. squash — the sport
  16. press — to push
  17. board — a committee
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. wind — moving air
  21. press — a publisher
  22. squash — to crush
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. wind — moving air

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