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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: press · swing · mate · hand · pit · bass · bowl · club

  1. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. hand — in cards
  4. swing — in golf
  5. club — a group
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. bass — low music
  8. club — for golf
  9. pit — a hole
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. hand — help
  12. bass — the fish
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. mate — a friend
  15. mate — a partner
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. mate — to breed
  18. club — for dancing
  19. swing — music
  20. press — a publisher
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. press — newspapers
  23. pit — in a race
  24. swing — to play on

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