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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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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: land · press · swing · rest · firm · bat · shower · bound

  1. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. shower — rain
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. land — ground
  5. land — to come down
  6. land — a country
  7. press — newspapers
  8. firm — steady
  9. firm — a company
  10. rest — what's left
  11. firm — decided
  12. bound — tied together
  13. shower — to wash
  14. swing — music
  15. bound — certain
  16. press — a publisher
  17. rest — what's left
  18. swing — in golf
  19. rest — a break
  20. swing — to play on
  21. bound — obliged
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. bat — the animal
  24. bat — in an idiom

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