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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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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: date · key · bowl · swing · fall · wind · rash · press

  1. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. key — in music
  3. wind — moving air
  4. press — a publisher
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. fall — to drop
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. wind — moving air
  10. date — the fruit
  11. key — the most important part
  12. press — to push
  13. key — for a lock
  14. rash — a series
  15. fall — to drop
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. swing — in golf
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. swing — to play on
  20. rash — hasty
  21. swing — music
  22. press — newspapers
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. bowl — a dish

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