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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: last · swing · press · track · net · straw · bat · lash

  1. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  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. straw — a straw man
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. press — a publisher
  4. swing — in golf
  5. swing — music
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. net — in sport
  8. track — to keep track
  9. track — a song
  10. press — to push
  11. net — after costs
  12. bat — the animal
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. track — a path
  15. net — for catching
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. last — to go on
  19. last — finally
  20. swing — to play on
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. press — newspapers
  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