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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: rash · coach · swing · press · mark · chest · pitch · wave

  1. David sat on the ________________.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. pitch — completely
  3. chest — a box
  4. swing — in golf
  5. chest — of your body
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. press — newspapers
  8. mark — a grade
  9. press — to push
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. press — a publisher
  13. mark — a trace
  14. rash — hasty
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. swing — music
  18. rash — a series
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. chest — of your body
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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