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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
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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: swing · fork · press · field · nail · scale · clip · bat

  1. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. field — a subject
  4. scale — in music
  5. scale — size or range
  6. fork — in a road
  7. press — newspapers
  8. clip — to cut
  9. press — to push
  10. clip — a video
  11. field — farmland
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. swing — in golf
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. clip — for paper
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. field — for sport
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. bat — the animal
  22. swing — to play on
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. press — a publisher

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