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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: hand · press · stand · saw · chair · date · spell · swing

  1. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. spell — letters
  3. press — newspapers
  4. press — a publisher
  5. stand — to bear
  6. chair — a leader
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. saw — the tool
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. spell — a short time
  11. saw — the tool
  12. hand — in cards
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. swing — music
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. date — the fruit
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. press — to push
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. swing — to play on
  21. spell — magic
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. hand — help

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