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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: ground · swing · row · sharp · snap · press · firm · bat

  1. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  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. sharp — exactly
  2. swing — music
  3. ground — the earth
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. press — to push
  6. ground — a position
  7. firm — a company
  8. swing — to play on
  9. swing — in golf
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. row — to paddle
  14. bat — the animal
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. ground — crushed
  17. sharp — clever
  18. firm — steady
  19. firm — decided
  20. press — a publisher
  21. row — a line
  22. snap — to click
  23. sharp — with an edge
  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