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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
468
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 · ball · swing · mouse · wax · racket · date · pass

  1. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. press — a publisher
  4. swing — in golf
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. ball — a great time
  11. press — newspapers
  12. wax — to grow
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. ball — a dance
  15. pass — a permit
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. swing — music
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. date — the fruit
  23. swing — to play on
  24. date — on the calendar

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