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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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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: drill · press · land · rock · content · coach · swing · net

  1. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. content — happy
  3. net — after costs
  4. drill — the tool
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. land — to come down
  7. swing — in golf
  8. drill — army training
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. land — ground
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. swing — to play on
  13. net — in sport
  14. press — a publisher
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. content — the amount
  17. press — to push
  18. net — for catching
  19. drill — a practice
  20. rock — music
  21. land — a country
  22. swing — music
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. press — newspapers

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