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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: press · hand · swing · club · last · board · arm · toast

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. press — a publisher
  4. toast — bread
  5. last — finally
  6. club — for golf
  7. board — to get on
  8. club — a group
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. club — for dancing
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. press — newspapers
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. swing — to play on
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. last — to go on
  18. press — to push
  19. board — a committee
  20. swing — music
  21. hand — help
  22. swing — in golf
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  24. last — final

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